Cue My Heart Shall Go On, if you must, but please try not to cry.
In 17 years of a weekly 2000-word piece, I have written well over half a million words on college football (plus a 90,000 word book, since remaindered, which makes it one of the better buys on Amazon--finely wrought memoir for less than three dollars!). Most of those thoughts have been coherent, but I am worried I have run out of words. My passion for the game remains, but for the writing...eh. This spring I started several pieces for the folks here at Barking Carnival. They sit as incomplete as an SEC transcript.
I am just going to be a fan for a while.
This effort starts in earnest at 6:00 on Thursday night when I will cheer like all hell for Mrs. Jones Top Ten's Vanderbilt Commodores to knock off South Carolina. For the first time in a long time, I will get to watch that game without having to consider my Monday morning double-entendre options when covering the ‘Cocks. Hmmm, this may be harder than I thought.
I will still post at BC, but man..the writing competition around here is getting ridiculous. Look at what you have created, Sailor. It's fantastic work, every single day.
In the meantime, over on the fan posts, is a Jones Top Ten season preview, written by my son, Zach. He's one year younger than the column itself. He's not bad. Maybe one day he will earn his way onto the main stage here. He, of course, doesn't have my voice or my chops. Yet.
"Yet" is one of the most glorious words in life.
The late great Henri Nouwen wrote that the real question in life is not what can we give each other, but "Who we can be for each other?" I hope I have been a comfortable and amiable voice that lends a little cheer to a Monday morning, someone at least who understands that your undying love of [fill in team here] is not in the least bit bat-shit crazy.
And maybe, at times, I have even reminded you that the good life moves ever forward.
As shall I. Many thanks to Sailor, Scipio and the great Peter Bean, uber-lord of all he surveys (at very attractive hourly rates) for giving me a home on SB Nation. I will be back.
Carry on.