| MIKE PIRTLE: Poor decision making |
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By: MIKE PIRTLE, Post Columnist
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Posted: Sunday, August 29, 2010 7:41 am
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Wow.
Maybe the gruesomely hot weather we have endured all summer just made it seem that way but fall sure seemed to be on the breeze around here last week.
The temperatures remained pretty high, but the humidity was way down and a pretty constant, cooling breeze certainly sparked thoughts of autumn across our community.
Football season must be imminent.
Oh, that’s right, it is here as Minnesota comes to Murfreesboro this Thursday for the season opener at MTSU. (More on that later.)
Of course, football started here last week as the high school season opened with Week 0 (the designation just one obvious indicator the TSSAA Board of Control needs lots of new members).
But, we have long become accustomed to high school football in these parts opening the season on a crackling hot Friday night. Well, OK, usually Thursday night as happened again last week with a Rutherford County team, an exciting Smyrna squad, opening the season in a television game (that would be much better if local high school football guru Murphy Fair was on the air more).
And, yeah, the NFL has begun its pre-season but those games are more like glorified, dress uniform scrimmages than real games. The score of the game isn’t as important as assessing the potential value of possible roster players, many of whom fans will never see again.
Nothing, however, quite matches the overall interest level and intensity of college football.
Like most football fans, I will watch almost any game (well, not counting the above mentioned NFL pre-season non-games).
But, I love college football.
At times when all was right with the world I would literally watch college games from 10 a.m. to maybe 1 p.m. And, not just on New Year’s Day, but many Saturdays.
Now I might have done some work on the laptop while watching a game or two, and I might have done some chores or honey-dos outside while watching the rabbit-ear-antenna TV (can’t do that now), but I would have been watching.
Things change and my opportunity to pay college football the attention it deserves has been diminished by a number of factors.
No small one has been the development of Blue Raider football.
In the past I probably went to two or three games a year, preferring to watch three games on TV to see the Raiders play, say, Louisiana-Lafayette.
But, the program has grown and improved in FBS competition, and brought in better competition, as with Minnesota this week.
While I always liked Andy Mac, Coach Rick Stockstill produces not only a great team to watch but also exhibits the tremendous integrity and character that is all too uncommon anymore in college coaches, no, make that modern life (although County Mayor Ernest Burgess is a quick other public example).
Excitement for the Blue Raiders this season has been off the chart after last season’s 10-win, bowl-winning season.
Developments last week concerning super star quarterback Dwight Dasher raised a huge level of concern. The dual-threat quarterback was involved in a controversy involving loans from an 80-year-old man, reportedly involving some $1,500 lost in poker games.
MTSU Athletic Director Chris Massaro announced Friday the school’s star quarterback could miss up to a third of the upcoming season and will definitely miss the season opener.
Certainly Dasher’s presence this season is critical in MTSU’s potential success, and that potential is immense with some folks listing the Blue Raiders as one of just a handful of teams with a shot at an undefeated season.
Such an accomplishment is slim at best, and likely non-existent without Dasher. But, with or without Double D, the Raiders look to have a strong team this season, and certainly have generated more publicity and overall excitement than ever.
Hopefully, that excitement will be at full bore and Dasher will be behind center come Thursday night.
•••
I know you are not supposed to judge, but good grief how can someone who is supposed to be a great Christian leader act and speak in such an unchristian manner and still be relevant?
700 Club charlatan Pat Robertson, commenting on the Muslim mosque controversy here, claimed local officials could quite possibly be bribed by Muslims to allow the mosque.
So, Robertson sits hundreds of miles away and makes such a negative, hurtful, unfair assessment of local leaders on what is supposed to be a show based on Christian principles.
Now, I’m sure he isn’t perfect, but Mayor Ernest Burgess is a fine, Christian man I would literally entrust with my beating heart. I won’t always agree with him, but I totally trust his integrity.
For Robertson to shoot off his mouth and attack the reputation of such folk is an absolute outrage. But, I’m sure we will get a public apology anytime now.
Yeah, the day after I dunk a basketball.
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