Monday, February 8, 2010

Football

Sunday night. Everyone watching the Superbowl. Well. Not everyone. I was watching Fringe on DVD. Great stuff. Was the Superbowl super? I hear it usually isn’t.

So, it seems New Orleans won? I was hoping they might. It could do them some good, you know. Even for people who aren’t into sports, there’s just a good feeling that goes with that kind of a win. Makes you feel winning is possible.

I don’t watch football, but I do have experience with it. My wife was a cheerleader for the Michigan Panthers. This was a big deal to my friends. I just liked her. Still do.

I also played drums in high school and university marching band. This meant playing at half time for football games. One year in university we did a gig at halftime at the Pontiac Silverdome on a Thanksgiving. I would have rather been at home with the family, but it was required. So we were standing at the end zone waiting to take the field. For some reason, the door to the locker room opens. Out come some football players. Lions. It was part of the half time festivities. And let me just say, these guys were huge.

HUGE.

There’s no way to describe it, really. It was like Phil Spector’s wall of sound in human form. Tons of human flesh and bone moving past us. The ground shook as they went past. I imagine a herd of buffalo would give off the same sensations. Earth shattering.

Finally, when they were finished with whatever they were doing, they stomped back past us and into the locker room. I think it was the locker room. Who knows. But then the whistle blew. We took the field and played our songs. The horrible acoustics of the Pontiac Silverdome ate every note. It was like playing into the ether. It was pointless.

So why was I missing Thanksgiving with the family?

My only other connection to football, besides playing at football games, was the fact that my locker partner in High School was a football player. He liked being my locker partner because I didn’t use the locker. I kept all my things in the band room. He seemed like a nice guy, but I didn’t really know him.

Yeah. Me and football. We go way back. We are so tight.



Peace to you.

© LW Publishing 2010

1 comment:

  1. I have the same connection to football as you! Loved marching in that Silverdome, however I did not have to do it on Thanksgiving, but I imagine I would feel the same as you. I also kept all my things in my "band locker". :)

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