5 Things on a Friday: Army-Navy is Back!

It’s a lot of military-related stuff this week, not so much because of the Army-Navy game but because that’s what’s going on in America.  Or maybe I’m just more tuned into the military stuff because of the game.  Regardless, these are the things to which I want people to pay attention.

Happy Friday, folks.  Let’s get after it.

Army Football Preview: Navy

Army first played Navy in football in 1890.  With rare exceptions, the nation’s leading service academies have met annually on the fields of friendly strife ever since.  The Army-Navy Game not only tests the mettle of the teams on the field, it also celebrates the service of America’s soldiers, sailors, and Marines.  

Saturday’s match-up is the 117th meeting between Army and Navy, and if the midshipmen have enjoyed the advantage over the last decade plus, it must also be said that this season has seen a return to form for the Army team that has been in the works since 1999.  Though we don’t know who’s going to win this weekend, the contest pits two (relatively) evenly matched teams against one another for the pride of America’s military.

Army Football Preview: How Did We Get Here?

It’s Army-Navy week!

All American pic.twitter.com/iREdgDAo73

— ArmyWestPoint Sports (@GoArmyWestPoint) December 5, 2016

Army comes into this weekend’s Army-Navy game as an eight-point road underdog.  That sounds about right based on performance, but in many ways, this year’s game marks the first creditable Army Football team since 1999.  Though the Black Knights have just sixteen firsties (seniors) on their roster, that small leadership group came into their final year at the Academy with a singular mission.  They would make Army Football great again.  

This has been a monumental undertaking.

It's Navy Week!

I am better prepared for Monday after having seen this. #BeatNavy pic.twitter.com/dKniCFdEnJ

— Drunk Old Grad (@DrunkOldGrad) December 5, 2016

Go Army!  Beat Navy!!! 

5 Things on a Friday: Catering to Your Personal Dystopia

Happy Friday, folks.

Not much witty banter this week, but if you’re wondering, I’m almost through with the first re-write of my memoir, tentatively titled Swim, Bike, Run, Live, Love, Repeat: A Story about Swimming, Family, & Belonging.

So yeah, that’s a mouthful.  Probably not a great sign for the rest of the book.

My buddy Chris, the poor bastard, has had to read every chapter of this fantastic literary masterpiece over the course of the past few months--and often discuss what he just read over the phone immediately afterwards.  I like to check his reading comprehension!  Heh.  No seriously, he's been a HUGE help.  He was my roommate Yearling (sophomore) year at the Academy, but I'll bet if he knew then what he was getting himself into way back when...

Eh.  What can you do?

My daughter Hannah's been enjoying the project more than anyone, and she's been a pretty good test-reader, too.  In that respect, I feel at least partially vindicated.  My kids are often my best target audience.  The whole thing still feels like a vanity project, but if it's a vanity project that my kids are enjoying, then it's gotta be worth something.  Right?

Army-Navy 101 (Part 2): Mascots & Symbols

We started talking a little about the Army-Navy rivalry last week in advance of the Army-Navy football game on December 10th.  This week we’ll introduce the Academies’ symbols and mascots and talk a little about a few of each school’s most accomplished graduates.  Army and Navy have both put a ton of super-successful flag officers into national service; listing them all would be impractical in the extreme.  I am therefore making different comparisons, comparisons that I hope will appeal to casual fans and those new to college sports’ greatest rivalry.

Saturday Workout with Hannah

I've been working this week to get back into the gym with my daughter Hannah.  This is something of a switch.  Hannah is a dancer and a gymnast while I am a swimmer and a triathlete.  We spent a lot of time earlier in the year working out together to help Hannah improve in gymnastics, but because of school and work pressures, we haven't been working out together as much lately.  Hannah had to put more focus on her schoolwork and on ballet while I decided to double-down on swimming.

Thanksgiving Notes and Memories

I had a dream this morning.  In it, I was taking a road trip with my grandparents, as I did innumerable times over my summers as a kid.  I woke, remembered that it was Thanksgiving, and thought about how much I wanted to talk to my grandparents.  I made a mental note to call them later.  I thought about this for several minutes before I remembered that my grandparents are gone, that they died several years ago, along with my parents and pretty much all of the rest of my family save my wife and my kids.

Sally, Hannah, & Emma at a New Hampshire wedding this past summer.

I rolled over and put my arms around my wife, let the light of early morning comfort me for the few minutes we had before it was time to get up.  Sally taught an early fitness class this morning, and I went with her and put in about forty-five minutes in the pool.  I can't say that I swam particularly well, but even mediocre swimming is often enough to put me back on an even emotional keel.  Such was the case this morning.

Army's Bowl Bid Projections

Army Football dropped two truly egregious games this season, at Buffalo and against North Texas at home.  They lost to Buffalo on a pair of (very) makeable field goals, the first of which would have put the game away in regulation.  Against North Texas, Army played a fine game and won perhaps 85% of the total snaps but also threw seven interceptions and had seven fumbles.

We can't win like that to say the very least.

So here we are.  Army is 6-5, and they've got a team that probably ought to play in a bowl, that the national media has been following pretty closely over the course of the current season, but because the Athletic Department scheduled two FCS games, we don't have six bowl-qualifying wins.

Last year a handful of teams made it to bowls with five wins based on Academic Progress Rate (APR), or as we say in English, team grades.  Beat writer Sal Interdonato published a very good post yesterday updating Army's chances and correcting the record from CBS Sports.  CBS Sports had projected Army to play Houston (9-2) in the Military Bowl in, of all places, Navy-Marine Corps Stadium on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy.  That, however, seems extremely unlikely.

Army-Navy 101: The Basics

Army Football is on a bye for the next two weeks.  Navy plays Southern Methodist University this Saturday, and they have the Atlantic Conference Championship game after that.  Army-Navy is the next week, December 10th, traditionally the last college football game of the regular season.

It’s too early to start previewing the game itself, but it’s never too early to talk about the rivalry in general.  This blog series, then, is meant to introduce casual fans to the greatest rivalry in college sports.

Welcome to Army-Navy!

Quick Thoughts: Army vs. Morgan State

I'm not sure what we were supposed to learn from watching Army smash historically black college Morgan State.  Morgan State is the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland, and it must surely be one of the nation's oldest in that it dates all the way back to 1867.  Important cultural significance notwithstanding, however, MSU is still an FCS program that just finished its season 2-8.  Reality is that this game was never going to be much of a contest.

Hiatus

With the election over and Army Football seemingly out of bowl contention, I'm going to take a few weeks off from the blog to finish the first re-write of my memoir.  Tentatively titled "Swim, Bike, Run, Live, Love, Repeat," it's the story of my swimming career, my family, and my personal relationships.

It's about ambition, self-image, and belonging.  At least, that's my hope, anyway.

I grew up in a Marine household, moved around incessantly, and wound up becoming a successful competitive swimmer despite living everywhere.  This was only possible by the grace of God, a shit-ton of hard swimming, and the unflinching support of my parents in the face of adversity.

If that sounds interesting, then good.  I'm still looking for test-readers.  Let me know.

Thanks!

Strolling Thru Twitter: Still Picking Up the Pieces

Good morning, everyone.  Sally's away on business, & I don't start teaching swimming for a couple of hours.  The kids are still asleep, and coffee's on.

Let's see what's on Twitter.