A Time Out

Yeah, you're right. I've been taking it easy, linking up bits of information and launching an occasional bit of actual thought, but for the most part just trying to get through the offseason and not let you all wander off as summer wanders on, never to return (you, not summer). I'll start researching shortly for the upcoming football season. Today, however, I'm opining and sharing an experience.

The World Cup, every one else's football championship, has come and gone. Two Gun even made us a couple of bucks by listening to his sagacious soccer advisor, one of his grandchildren. Other than learning about the existence of those big kazoos with funny name (and the-got-to-be-dumb-as-a-stump people who toot on them for hours on end), nothing happened during El Copa Mundial to make me care about soccer.

Be honest: neither do you. It's ok, we are safe for a few more years until it starts up again.

As for American football, our raison d'être, I confess that I'm having trouble getting enthused. The reason is that for the first time in a lot of years, my son isn't playing this season. The injuries and the contempt he developed for the attitude of his coaches (quite justified) have quelled his competitive flame, a series of events that I regret immensely. The greatest lesson he has learned in high school: high school coaches aren't always concerned with the well being of  the students.

All the activities upon which we place so much importance were given a new perspective for me this past week. We spent a vacation week in Mazatlan, Mexico, where they don't seem to care about much of anything. They acknowledge the existence of American football there for the occasional opportunity to sell the tourists a shirt or blanket that has some American football team's name on it (licensing? We don't have to pay no stinkin' licensing) and the stuff is made in China anyway (just like the Mazatlan embroidered hat I bought).  As for soccer, the Mexicans were out of the tournament, so the locals didn't much care about that much, either. 

I didn't get the results of baseball's All-Star game until two days after that "event" was done, so you can see that baseball isn't big news there.  I looked up the Chicagoland NASCAR results right after I looked up the baseball news.  Riding in the shuttle bus to and from the airport is far more thrilling than NASCAR, I assure you.

Apprising Mazatlan as a destination, it was the least seductive of the places we have visited in Mexico, conveying a rather apathetic attitude toward everything that makes one visit a place for a holiday. Not dirty, just not clean. Not unattractive, but definitely not visually stimulating. It offered up the usual seaside attractions, but they were just there, blah. It was kind of like being in the Milwaukee of Mexico. Nah...that's not giving props to Milwaukee. Maybe more like Memphis on the Pacific, if you can assemble that concept.

So, this week I'll put on my Outback Bowl NU cap and start researching the upcoming college football season, aware that there are a lot of people in Mazatlan who don't care.   I am not offended, 'cause they dont' care about much of anything. 

Hey, amigo, wanna buy a Baltimore Ravens sombrero?