It’s been a tough few days in my sports world, folks.
Last Thursday, with our Penn State flag proudly flying outside our home, our Nittany Lions lost a heartbreaker against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff (CFP) at the Orange Bowl in Miami. On Saturday, with our Pittsburgh Steelers flag on display, my hometown team got bounced out of the NFL playoffs after a rather uninspired effort against our archrival Ravens and their coach, John Harbaugh.
By the way, my NFL playoff poll is already in trouble because I picked the Chargers, coached by that other Harbaugh, over the Texans (who thumped the Chargers 32-13). Never trust a Harbaugh!
You see, throughout Sun City’s distinct “neighborhoods” — there are over 50 of them — it’s normal for households to fly the colors of their favorite sports teams, whether college, professional or both. A lot of bragging rights are on the line to be debated at dog parks, pickleball and bocce courts, and on the golf courses!
The question that is top of mind for me is: Now what does this sports guy do? Well, there’s some good news on the Penn State sports front. Wrestling dominated Michigan State over the weekend and both hockey teams are coming off impressive wins. The No. 11-ranked women upset third-ranked Minnesota 6-2 on the road before sweeping RIT at home this past weekend. The men’s team battled injuries most of the fall, but in the past few weeks Coach Gadowsky‘s boys beat that pesky Notre Dame on the road and most recently they knocked off top-ranked Michigan State in a thrilling shootout at Pegula Ice Arena.
So, now what do I do? In the immortal words of the Delta House gang from Animal House…”Road trip!” We travel back to Happy Valley (third trip in three months!) for the annual Hockey Alumni Weekend Jan. 17-18. Our 1990 and 2000 ACHA national championship teams, and the 2020 Big Ten championship team, will be recognized at the Saturday game against Canisius. It’s just the cathartic remedy I need to get over my recent sports melancholy. I will get to see many of my former players and parents and coaches and enjoy the fellowship that only being a part of a team truly brings.
But since my “Stillers” are out of the NFL playoffs, now what do I do for a team to support? Well, on the AFC side that one’s pretty easy because of my relationship with Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Bills. Is this the year that NFL MVP candidate QB Josh Allen finally matures? Will their defense step up and get it done? As much as it hurts to say it, the Bills’ special teams have been an Achilles heel (past and present!), so they really need to step up. Most importantly, I want anyone but the Chiefs to win. Not that I don’t like them, I think Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes simply will their team to win. But they’ve had their run, and I just can’t take any more Taylor Swift in my face while trying to enjoy a darned football game.






How about on the NFC side? That’s a tougher one. I have been a Packers fan all my life dating back to legendary coach Vince Lombardi and HOF quarterback Bart Starr. But I’m also a huge Saquon Barkley fan, I mean we named our dog after him, for goodness’ sake. Just like that, Saquon rushes for over 100 yards and Philly wins! Fly, Eagles, Fly, baby! My sentimental picks are the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, simply because neither team has ever won it all. My youngest son Ryan lives in Minneapolis and several of my good friends are either long-suffering Vikings or Lions fans. Who is my pick? Go Lions!
Which brings me to who to root for in the CFP National Championship? Now, what do I do? Conventional wisdom dictates that as a Penn Stater we should root for our Big Ten brothers at Ohio State especially since the conference shares in their winnings! But they’re the Buckeyes gosh darn it! We purposely don’t have red in our lives for that very reason.
That takes us to Notre Dame. In full disclosure, I wanted to be a Golden-Domer since I first watched the Irish football highlights show as a kid on Sunday mornings. Well, I wanted them more than they wanted me, so gotta take that rejection into account! So how do I choose between the lesser of two evils? Gotta go with our conference foe, mainly because their team took a stance on campus and led over 1,000 students in a church service and baptized 60 students as a part of their commitment to God back in August!


With my favorite football teams out of championship races, maybe I could turn my attention to my beloved Penguins or my former employer, the Buffalo Sabres. OK, let’s skip that for now, based on how their seasons are playing out. And of course, the spring brings the eternal optimism of the possibility of the Pirates returning to the glory years of my youth. Oh, never mind, we won’t even go there.
Perhaps it’s simply time to quit living vicariously through others. So, now what do I do? I get myself back into shape for the all-important senior softball spring season! The winter short season is about to come to an end, but spring ball starts in February. Oh, and our Sun City 60s travel team is gearing up for the World Tournament of Champions in Tampa, Florida Jan. 31-Feb. 2. That means I’m back to my routine of stretching while in our clubhouse indoor jacuzzi (kill two birds with one stone!) and getting down to the batting cage.
Yes, I’m disappointed that some of my sports teams have fallen short, but in the bigger picture, life goes on. What I will do now, is to continue to be a fan but not be so obsessed that it becomes bigger than it should be in my life. Remember folks, our ability to root for our teams is a blessing and their shortcomings are all “first world problems.” In the spirit of keeping things in proper perspective, my thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims of the LA fires and the recent senseless terrorist acts in New Orleans and Las Vegas.
What do I do now? In the end, there is plenty to do. It’s time to get back to working with the local high school and college student-athletes and coaches to keep me involved in sports. Oh, and the flag flying outside my garage? Well these days, it’s Old Glory!
