Nine wins to go 
Pregame: Illinois vs Ohio State, Friday, March 15th, 5:30pm CT, BTN
- Status
Well done as always, Altgeld. Thank you for sharing.College ball is unique and wonderful. I live for this week every year, especially when the Illini are at the top of the league. The ACC tourney is in town this week, which I didn't realize until I was walking with friends at lunch on Tuesday (my office is four blocks from the CapOne Arena downtown) and saw various pedestrians wearing the regalia of various teams. Went online and snagged lower bowl tickets to a highly entertaining Virginia Tech-FSU game on Weds at noon. Enjoyed it with my close friend who played for the Terps nearly 60 years ago and, sadly, pines for the ACC. He shares my late father's birthday and in a way fills the void my dad left. He's pushing 80 and loves the game and its lore as I do. Listening to him describe playing in Clemson's smoke-filled tobacco barn arena in '66 (when I was two months old) gives me chills.
My dad passed 20 years ago this coming summer and would have been 100 next month. He was a Southern gentleman of honor and few words, having endured an unimaginably hard childhood, but when we sat in the arena together watching OSU basketball, or in the living room watching sports, none were needed. I miss him every day.
Last Saturday I got up early and took my daughter back to VT after spring break where we attended the VT-Notre Dame men's game. I couldn't get her interested in sports as a child, and had no success during her freshman year encouraging her to dive into Hokie nation and attend football and basketball games. I kept telling her "these are your people, these are your teams, this is your community." But then she finally did last September as a sophomore. One dose of Enter Sandman at a Saturday night Labor Day weekend game in Lane Stadium and she became a monster. Sitting with her in Cassell Coliseum last Saturday afternoon as she taught me the Hokie cheers and customs, as she asked insatiably about fouls and high ball screens and cheered with mad elation, I thought of my dad, how he died when she was only three months old and never met her, how she favors him, and how he would have cherished her and she him. He was sitting there with us, silent and satisfied in this communion like no other. I felt no sadness, only gratitude and peace. It was intense. And this game we love gave me that experience that I'll now treasure in the virtual locket I carry through life. I drove the four hours back home up I-81 in the driving rain and relentless truck convoys, having gotten only five hours of sleep the preceding night, feeling pure joy and exhilaration all the way.
*******************
Donned my O&B polo shirt on an unseasonably warm DC day this morning, pulled on my lucky Illini basketball socks, and am ready for the 18:30 tip enjoying the game with good friends, one of whom is from Serbia and has never seen a college basketball game.
No matter what happens this month I give thanks for the team we've enjoyed since BU assembled it last June. Much more than that, I give thanks for this game. These games that bind us, that bring my Serbian friend a step closer to being an American. The anticipation of the season, the ups and downs, so many victories. I have faith there's more to come. Our guys have worked incredibly hard, which I never forget, even when I'm shouting at the TV in a bar for someone to please GO TO THE FREAKING BALL when Justin is trying to inbound it.
I get a bit emotional when I think of the great fortune I had to attend UIUC and the indelible mark the campus, the Big Sky, my friends, and the school made on my soul. I'm thankful for what Dan has created here for all of us in the Illini community to enjoy. It's a wonderful part of my life. We're fortunate beyond words to have enjoyed the show that TSJ, Marcus, CoHawk and their teammates have put on this year. The pipeline is primed (Canadian or not) and I'm hopeful that our program will roll on through the sunny uplands it has finally reached after several years careening through dark valleys.
We love no other so let our motto be: victory Illinois varsity.
Stories like yours are why I always give a small "bless your heart" head shake when people say, "It's only a game." Or, "It's just entertainment."
I'm reminded of a story about the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series that I first heard repeated by a journalist following or perhaps leading up to the Cubs World Series in 2016.
The night the Sox won the series, their first in nearly a century, a man toting a flashlight and a six pack, snuck into a Boston Cemetery to share the news with his father who lay at rest beneath one of the cemetery's many stones. Upon entering the cemetery, he was met by a security guard. Realizing how suspicious he must have looked, he explained to the guard that he didn't have any ill intentions - His father was a Red Sox fan and so on. In response, the guard simply shined his flashlight out over the cemetery. As the cone of light scanned the vast spread of stones, it revealed dozens of Red Sox hats worn by men who, in that moment were just boys with their fathers again.
It's good to have perspective and when broken down into its compoments, it is just a game. But the sum of thing is about more than that. For many of us, it's about the tombstones.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
But the sum of thing is about more than that. For many of us, it's about the tombstones.
Thanks. I'm going to write that down.
It's also, as I realized last Saturday, about the life abundant growing forth from the earth around those tombstones. The unbroken chain. Literally and metaphorically.
You guys have me more beautifully emotional than I was prepared for this morning! Thank you both for sharing.
I wish I had the optimism that you do. I see us winning but by a lower score in the mid to late 70's. Iowa was manhandled by both teams. Remember that these guys beat Purdue at home and M. State on the road. That's something that we failed to do. They are on a roll and we will be pressed to play our best. Having watched the Purdue game, they have significantly stepped up their defense. The bad news is that the offense is also shooting on all cylinders. If O. State gets in the tourney, I would hate to have to play them.
Stop it, you're making my eyes water.College ball is unique and wonderful. I live for this week every year, especially when the Illini are at the top of the league. The ACC tourney is in town this week, which I didn't realize until I was walking with friends at lunch on Tuesday (my office is four blocks from the CapOne Arena downtown) and saw various pedestrians wearing the regalia of various teams. Went online and snagged lower bowl tickets to a highly entertaining Virginia Tech-FSU game on Weds at noon. Enjoyed it with my close friend who played for the Terps nearly 60 years ago and, sadly, pines for the ACC. He shares my late father's birthday and in a way fills the void my dad left. He's pushing 80 and loves the game and its lore as I do. Listening to him describe playing in Clemson's smoke-filled tobacco barn arena in '66 (when I was two months old) gives me chills.
My dad passed 20 years ago this coming summer and would have been 100 next month. He was a Southern gentleman of honor and few words, having endured an unimaginably hard childhood, but when we sat in the arena together watching OSU basketball, or in the living room watching sports, none were needed. I miss him every day.
Last Saturday I got up early and took my daughter back to VT after spring break where we attended the VT-Notre Dame men's game. I couldn't get her interested in sports as a child, and had no success during her freshman year encouraging her to dive into Hokie nation and attend football and basketball games. I kept telling her "these are your people, these are your teams, this is your community." But then she finally did last September as a sophomore. One dose of Enter Sandman at a Saturday night Labor Day weekend game in Lane Stadium and she became a monster. Sitting with her in Cassell Coliseum last Saturday afternoon as she taught me the Hokie cheers and customs, as she asked insatiably about fouls and high ball screens and cheered with mad elation, I thought of my dad, how he died when she was only three months old and never met her, how she favors him, and how he would have cherished her and she him. He was sitting there with us, silent and satisfied in this communion like no other. I felt no sadness, only gratitude and peace. It was intense. And this game we love gave me that experience that I'll now treasure in the virtual locket I carry through life. I drove the four hours back home up I-81 in the driving rain and relentless truck convoys, having gotten only five hours of sleep the preceding night, feeling pure joy and exhilaration all the way.
*******************
Donned my O&B polo shirt on an unseasonably warm DC day this morning, pulled on my lucky Illini basketball socks, and am ready for the 18:30 tip enjoying the game with good friends, one of whom is from Serbia and has never seen a college basketball game.
No matter what happens this month I give thanks for the team we've enjoyed since BU assembled it last June. Much more than that, I give thanks for this game. These games that bind us, that bring my Serbian friend a step closer to being an American. The anticipation of the season, the ups and downs, so many victories. I have faith there's more to come. Our guys have worked incredibly hard, which I never forget, even when I'm shouting at the TV in a bar for someone to please GO TO THE FREAKING BALL when Justin is trying to inbound it.
I get a bit emotional when I think of the great fortune I had to attend UIUC and the indelible mark the campus, the Big Sky, my friends, and the school made on my soul. I'm thankful for what Dan has created here for all of us in the Illini community to enjoy. It's a wonderful part of my life. We're fortunate beyond words to have enjoyed the show that TSJ, Marcus, CoHawk and their teammates have put on this year. The pipeline is primed (Canadian or not) and I'm hopeful that our program will roll on through the sunny uplands it has finally reached after several years careening through dark valleys.
We love no other so let our motto be: victory Illinois varsity.
College ball is unique and wonderful. I live for this week every year, especially when the Illini are at the top of the league. The ACC tourney is in town this week, which I didn't realize until I was walking with friends at lunch on Tuesday (my office is four blocks from the CapOne Arena downtown) and saw various pedestrians wearing the regalia of various teams. Went online and snagged lower bowl tickets to a highly entertaining Virginia Tech-FSU game on Weds at noon. Enjoyed it with my close friend who played for the Terps nearly 60 years ago and, sadly, pines for the ACC. He shares my late father's birthday and in a way fills the void my dad left. He's pushing 80 and loves the game and its lore as I do. Listening to him describe playing in Clemson's smoke-filled tobacco barn arena in '66 (when I was two months old) gives me chills.
My dad passed 20 years ago this coming summer and would have been 100 next month. He was a Southern gentleman of honor and few words, having endured an unimaginably hard childhood, but when we sat in the arena together watching OSU basketball, or in the living room watching sports, none were needed. I miss him every day.
Last Saturday I got up early and took my daughter back to VT after spring break where we attended the VT-Notre Dame men's game. I couldn't get her interested in sports as a child, and had no success during her freshman year encouraging her to dive into Hokie nation and attend football and basketball games. I kept telling her "these are your people, these are your teams, this is your community." But then she finally did last September as a sophomore. One dose of Enter Sandman at a Saturday night Labor Day weekend game in Lane Stadium and she became a monster. Sitting with her in Cassell Coliseum last Saturday afternoon as she taught me the Hokie cheers and customs, as she asked insatiably about fouls and high ball screens and cheered with mad elation, I thought of my dad, how he died when she was only three months old and never met her, how she favors him, and how he would have cherished her and she him. He was sitting there with us, silent and satisfied in this communion like no other. I felt no sadness, only gratitude and peace. It was intense. And this game we love gave me that experience that I'll now treasure in the virtual locket I carry through life. I drove the four hours back home up I-81 in the driving rain and relentless truck convoys, having gotten only five hours of sleep the preceding night, feeling pure joy and exhilaration all the way.
*******************
Donned my O&B polo shirt on an unseasonably warm DC day this morning, pulled on my lucky Illini basketball socks, and am ready for the 18:30 tip enjoying the game with good friends, one of whom is from Serbia and has never seen a college basketball game.
No matter what happens this month I give thanks for the team we've enjoyed since BU assembled it last June. Much more than that, I give thanks for this game. These games that bind us, that bring my Serbian friend a step closer to being an American. The anticipation of the season, the ups and downs, so many victories. I have faith there's more to come. Our guys have worked incredibly hard, which I never forget, even when I'm shouting at the TV in a bar for someone to please GO TO THE FREAKING BALL when Justin is trying to inbound it.
I get a bit emotional when I think of the great fortune I had to attend UIUC and the indelible mark the campus, the Big Sky, my friends, and the school made on my soul. I'm thankful for what Dan has created here for all of us in the Illini community to enjoy. It's a wonderful part of my life. We're fortunate beyond words to have enjoyed the show that TSJ, Marcus, CoHawk and their teammates have put on this year. The pipeline is primed (Canadian or not) and I'm hopeful that our program will roll on through the sunny uplands it has finally reached after several years careening through dark valleys.
We love no other so let our motto be: victory Illinois varsity.
First thanks to the both of you. As a musician, I always believe that good music should make you feel something. Your words this morning made me feel a lot. And whatever the two of you are doing for an occupation, I sincerely hope that you are using your significant talents to craft the written word. If not, you missed your calling. Bravo gentlemen, Bravo!
If we have a decisive rebounding edge over the Buckeyes that should compensate for them having a little stronger defense.
Obviously, if they shoot "out of their asss" like they did, and Wisconsin did yesterday it will be another "rock fight"
Hopefully, the "human locomotive" will get untracked early.
Obviously, if they shoot "out of their asss" like they did, and Wisconsin did yesterday it will be another "rock fight"
Hopefully, the "human locomotive" will get untracked early.
OrangeBlue98
- Des Moines, IA
If this was a regular season game where both teams were on somewhat equal rest, I'd be much more nervous. Diebler did a nice job rotating players last night, but it was still an up and down game with a lot of pace. I felt like both teams were pretty tired by the end of things. Maybe a good analogy/comparison game for what I foresee tonight would be the Illinois-OSU game in Columbus. I could see this game following a similar rhythm, particularly since OSU has such a short turnaround.
Idk the details and I’m guessing but I’d assume every team gets at least a little bit of a shootaround window on the court in the days before they play.
InDaAZ
- Eugene, Oregon
Did anyone besides me hear ascending background music as they read this?College ball is unique and wonderful. I live for this week every year, especially when the Illini are at the top of the league. The ACC tourney is in town this week, which I didn't realize until I was walking with friends at lunch on Tuesday (my office is four blocks from the CapOne Arena downtown) and saw various pedestrians wearing the regalia of various teams. Went online and snagged lower bowl tickets to a highly entertaining Virginia Tech-FSU game on Weds at noon. Enjoyed it with my close friend who played for the Terps nearly 60 years ago and, sadly, pines for the ACC. He shares my late father's birthday and in a way fills the void my dad left. He's pushing 80 and loves the game and its lore as I do. Listening to him describe playing in Clemson's smoke-filled tobacco barn arena in '66 (when I was two months old) gives me chills.
My dad passed 20 years ago this coming summer and would have been 100 next month. He was a Southern gentleman of honor and few words, having endured an unimaginably hard childhood, but when we sat in the arena together watching OSU basketball, or in the living room watching sports, none were needed. I miss him every day.
Last Saturday I got up early and took my daughter back to VT after spring break where we attended the VT-Notre Dame men's game. I couldn't get her interested in sports as a child, and had no success during her freshman year encouraging her to dive into Hokie nation and attend football and basketball games. I kept telling her "these are your people, these are your teams, this is your community." But then she finally did last September as a sophomore. One dose of Enter Sandman at a Saturday night Labor Day weekend game in Lane Stadium and she became a monster. Sitting with her in Cassell Coliseum last Saturday afternoon as she taught me the Hokie cheers and customs, as she asked insatiably about fouls and high ball screens and cheered with mad elation, I thought of my dad, how he died when she was only three months old and never met her, how she favors him, and how he would have cherished her and she him. He was sitting there with us, silent and satisfied in this communion like no other. I felt no sadness, only gratitude and peace. It was intense. And this game we love gave me that experience that I'll now treasure in the virtual locket I carry through life. I drove the four hours back home up I-81 in the driving rain and relentless truck convoys, having gotten only five hours of sleep the preceding night, feeling pure joy and exhilaration all the way.
*******************
Donned my O&B polo shirt on an unseasonably warm DC day this morning, pulled on my lucky Illini basketball socks, and am ready for the 18:30 tip enjoying the game with good friends, one of whom is from Serbia and has never seen a college basketball game.
No matter what happens this month I give thanks for the team we've enjoyed since BU assembled it last June. Much more than that, I give thanks for this game. These games that bind us, that bring my Serbian friend a step closer to being an American. The anticipation of the season, the ups and downs, so many victories. I have faith there's more to come. Our guys have worked incredibly hard, which I never forget, even when I'm shouting at the TV in a bar for someone to please GO TO THE FREAKING BALL when Justin is trying to inbound it.
I get a bit emotional when I think of the great fortune I had to attend UIUC and the indelible mark the campus, the Big Sky, my friends, and the school made on my soul. I'm thankful for what Dan has created here for all of us in the Illini community to enjoy. It's a wonderful part of my life. We're fortunate beyond words to have enjoyed the show that TSJ, Marcus, CoHawk and their teammates have put on this year. The pipeline is primed (Canadian or not) and I'm hopeful that our program will roll on through the sunny uplands it has finally reached after several years careening through dark valleys.
We love no other so let our motto be: victory Illinois varsity.
At times I become frustrated by certain long-winded or stat-laden posts and all of the “I know everything” posts, but this entry and the 21CampaignSt reply make me realize how fortunate I am to be able to lurk regularly on this fan forum. Thank you.College ball is unique and wonderful. I live for this week every year, especially when the Illini are at the top of the league. The ACC tourney is in town this week, which I didn't realize until I was walking with friends at lunch on Tuesday (my office is four blocks from the CapOne Arena downtown) and saw various pedestrians wearing the regalia of various teams. Went online and snagged lower bowl tickets to a highly entertaining Virginia Tech-FSU game on Weds at noon. Enjoyed it with my close friend who played for the Terps nearly 60 years ago and, sadly, pines for the ACC. He shares my late father's birthday and in a way fills the void my dad left. He's pushing 80 and loves the game and its lore as I do. Listening to him describe playing in Clemson's smoke-filled tobacco barn arena in '66 (when I was two months old) gives me chills.
My dad passed 20 years ago this coming summer and would have been 100 next month. He was a Southern gentleman of honor and few words, having endured an unimaginably hard childhood, but when we sat in the arena together watching OSU basketball, or in the living room watching sports, none were needed. I miss him every day.
Last Saturday I got up early and took my daughter back to VT after spring break where we attended the VT-Notre Dame men's game. I couldn't get her interested in sports as a child, and had no success during her freshman year encouraging her to dive into Hokie nation and attend football and basketball games. I kept telling her "these are your people, these are your teams, this is your community." But then she finally did last September as a sophomore. One dose of Enter Sandman at a Saturday night Labor Day weekend game in Lane Stadium and she became a monster. Sitting with her in Cassell Coliseum last Saturday afternoon as she taught me the Hokie cheers and customs, as she asked insatiably about fouls and high ball screens and cheered with mad elation, I thought of my dad, how he died when she was only three months old and never met her, how she favors him, and how he would have cherished her and she him. He was sitting there with us, silent and satisfied in this communion like no other. I felt no sadness, only gratitude and peace. It was intense. And this game we love gave me that experience that I'll now treasure in the virtual locket I carry through life. I drove the four hours back home up I-81 in the driving rain and relentless truck convoys, having gotten only five hours of sleep the preceding night, feeling pure joy and exhilaration all the way.
*******************
Donned my O&B polo shirt on an unseasonably warm DC day this morning, pulled on my lucky Illini basketball socks, and am ready for the 18:30 tip enjoying the game with good friends, one of whom is from Serbia and has never seen a college basketball game.
No matter what happens this month I give thanks for the team we've enjoyed since BU assembled it last June. Much more than that, I give thanks for this game. These games that bind us, that bring my Serbian friend a step closer to being an American. The anticipation of the season, the ups and downs, so many victories. I have faith there's more to come. Our guys have worked incredibly hard, which I never forget, even when I'm shouting at the TV in a bar for someone to please GO TO THE FREAKING BALL when Justin is trying to inbound it.
I get a bit emotional when I think of the great fortune I had to attend UIUC and the indelible mark the campus, the Big Sky, my friends, and the school made on my soul. I'm thankful for what Dan has created here for all of us in the Illini community to enjoy. It's a wonderful part of my life. We're fortunate beyond words to have enjoyed the show that TSJ, Marcus, CoHawk and their teammates have put on this year. The pipeline is primed (Canadian or not) and I'm hopeful that our program will roll on through the sunny uplands it has finally reached after several years careening through dark valleys.
We love no other so let our motto be: victory Illinois varsity.
GallopingGhost
- Denver, CO
Buckeyes are young and red hot. They’ll be desperate. Illini are more veteran, poised, and probably have the best 2 players on the court.
This will be a wild one, I expect, as the rest of the games will be this season!
This will be a wild one, I expect, as the rest of the games will be this season!
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Stop it, you're making my eyes water.
Thought of the final verse of Steely Dan's Deacon Blues as I wrote it this morning and my eyes welled up. Coincidentally, for the first time in several years I listened to the complete Aja album as I drove home on 81 last Saturday evening:This is the night of the expanding man
I take one last drag as I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I'll be what I want to be
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Is.allowed Battle to get hot. He scored 23 pts in a half. All I can say is run them into the ground.
sacraig
- The desert
What in the world did you do to Torvik here that it has Purdue at 13 and us at 8?
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
This is like an article one would read behind a paywall.College ball is unique and wonderful. I live for this week every year, especially when the Illini are at the top of the league. The ACC tourney is in town this week, which I didn't realize until I was walking with friends at lunch on Tuesday (my office is four blocks from the CapOne Arena downtown) and saw various pedestrians wearing the regalia of various teams. Went online and snagged lower bowl tickets to a highly entertaining Virginia Tech-FSU game on Weds at noon. Enjoyed it with my close friend who played for the Terps nearly 60 years ago and, sadly, pines for the ACC. He shares my late father's birthday and in a way fills the void my dad left. He's pushing 80 and loves the game and its lore as I do. Listening to him describe playing in Clemson's smoke-filled tobacco barn arena in '66 (when I was two months old) gives me chills.
My dad passed 20 years ago this coming summer and would have been 100 next month. He was a Southern gentleman of honor and few words, having endured an unimaginably hard childhood, but when we sat in the arena together watching OSU basketball, or in the living room watching sports, none were needed. I miss him every day.
Last Saturday I got up early and took my daughter back to VT after spring break where we attended the VT-Notre Dame men's game. I couldn't get her interested in sports as a child, and had no success during her freshman year encouraging her to dive into Hokie nation and attend football and basketball games. I kept telling her "these are your people, these are your teams, this is your community." But then she finally did last September as a sophomore. One dose of Enter Sandman at a Saturday night Labor Day weekend game in Lane Stadium and she became a monster. Sitting with her in Cassell Coliseum last Saturday afternoon as she taught me the Hokie cheers and customs, as she asked insatiably about fouls and high ball screens and cheered with mad elation, I thought of my dad, how he died when she was only three months old and never met her, how she favors him, and how he would have cherished her and she him. He was sitting there with us, silent and satisfied in this communion like no other. I felt no sadness, only gratitude and peace. It was intense. And this game we love gave me that experience that I'll now treasure in the virtual locket I carry through life. I drove the four hours back home up I-81 in the driving rain and relentless truck convoys, having gotten only five hours of sleep the preceding night, feeling pure joy and exhilaration all the way.
*******************
Donned my O&B polo shirt on an unseasonably warm DC day this morning, pulled on my lucky Illini basketball socks, and am ready for the 18:30 tip enjoying the game with good friends, one of whom is from Serbia and has never seen a college basketball game.
No matter what happens this month I give thanks for the team we've enjoyed since BU assembled it last June. Much more than that, I give thanks for this game. These games that bind us, that bring my Serbian friend a step closer to being an American. The anticipation of the season, the ups and downs, so many victories. I have faith there's more to come. Our guys have worked incredibly hard, which I never forget, even when I'm shouting at the TV in a bar for someone to please GO TO THE FREAKING BALL when Justin is trying to inbound it.
I get a bit emotional when I think of the great fortune I had to attend UIUC and the indelible mark the campus, the Big Sky, my friends, and the school made on my soul. I'm thankful for what Dan has created here for all of us in the Illini community to enjoy. It's a wonderful part of my life. We're fortunate beyond words to have enjoyed the show that TSJ, Marcus, CoHawk and their teammates have put on this year. The pipeline is primed (Canadian or not) and I'm hopeful that our program will roll on through the sunny uplands it has finally reached after several years careening through dark valleys.
We love no other so let our motto be: victory Illinois varsity.
This is the data since the end of February, the past two weeks.
Side tip, do this Sunday when the bracket comes out.. will show you potential upsets coming and who’s peaking at the right time
There must be something wrong with the “w” on your keypad. I fixed all your pronouns for you.
So, your dad was “a man of few words”? Based on your post, I’m guessing your mom was quite chatty?College ball is unique and wonderful. I live for this week every year, especially when the Illini are at the top of the league. The ACC tourney is in town this week, which I didn't realize until I was walking with friends at lunch on Tuesday (my office is four blocks from the CapOne Arena downtown) and saw various pedestrians wearing the regalia of various teams. Went online and snagged lower bowl tickets to a highly entertaining Virginia Tech-FSU game on Weds at noon. Enjoyed it with my close friend who played for the Terps nearly 60 years ago and, sadly, pines for the ACC. He shares my late father's birthday and in a way fills the void my dad left. He's pushing 80 and loves the game and its lore as I do. Listening to him describe playing in Clemson's smoke-filled tobacco barn arena in '66 (when I was two months old) gives me chills.
My dad passed 20 years ago this coming summer and would have been 100 next month. He was a Southern gentleman of honor and few words, having endured an unimaginably hard childhood, but when we sat in the arena together watching OSU basketball, or in the living room watching sports, none were needed. I miss him every day.
Last Saturday I got up early and took my daughter back to VT after spring break where we attended the VT-Notre Dame men's game. I couldn't get her interested in sports as a child, and had no success during her freshman year encouraging her to dive into Hokie nation and attend football and basketball games. I kept telling her "these are your people, these are your teams, this is your community." But then she finally did last September as a sophomore. One dose of Enter Sandman at a Saturday night Labor Day weekend game in Lane Stadium and she became a monster. Sitting with her in Cassell Coliseum last Saturday afternoon as she taught me the Hokie cheers and customs, as she asked insatiably about fouls and high ball screens and cheered with mad elation, I thought of my dad, how he died when she was only three months old and never met her, how she favors him, and how he would have cherished her and she him. He was sitting there with us, silent and satisfied in this communion like no other. I felt no sadness, only gratitude and peace. It was intense. And this game we love gave me that experience that I'll now treasure in the virtual locket I carry through life. I drove the four hours back home up I-81 in the driving rain and relentless truck convoys, having gotten only five hours of sleep the preceding night, feeling pure joy and exhilaration all the way.
*******************
Donned my O&B polo shirt on an unseasonably warm DC day this morning, pulled on my lucky Illini basketball socks, and am ready for the 18:30 tip enjoying the game with good friends, one of whom is from Serbia and has never seen a college basketball game.
No matter what happens this month I give thanks for the team we've enjoyed since BU assembled it last June. Much more than that, I give thanks for this game. These games that bind us, that bring my Serbian friend a step closer to being an American. The anticipation of the season, the ups and downs, so many victories. I have faith there's more to come. Our guys have worked incredibly hard, which I never forget, even when I'm shouting at the TV in a bar for someone to please GO TO THE FREAKING BALL when Justin is trying to inbound it.
I get a bit emotional when I think of the great fortune I had to attend UIUC and the indelible mark the campus, the Big Sky, my friends, and the school made on my soul. I'm thankful for what Dan has created here for all of us in the Illini community to enjoy. It's a wonderful part of my life. We're fortunate beyond words to have enjoyed the show that TSJ, Marcus, CoHawk and their teammates have put on this year. The pipeline is primed (Canadian or not) and I'm hopeful that our program will roll on through the sunny uplands it has finally reached after several years careening through dark valleys.
We love no other so let our motto be: victory Illinois varsity.
I use we/they pretty interchangeably when discussing Illini/teams I root for.
- Status