Syracuse Vs. Farmington High School Football...The Only Game In Town

I have no connection, really, to Farmington High School, except that we live in the same town. Our neighbor's kids attend the school. My son would be attending, but we homeschool and he likes his teacher.

In the past, I'd watch a local high school game now and again. They broadcast them on Thursdays and Fridays in our market. They've been fun, but as far as on-field talent, let's just say, it's lacking, but that's as far as it goes. Those kids, coaches, and fans love their teams and you can see players play with passion. It's refreshing.

It's also the only football to watch right now.

Since my favorite college team has canceled the season until spring (I'd be surprised if they play at all...), there's high school ball. Other colleges are planning on playing this fall (again, I'd be surprised if they play at all...), and the NFL is planning on having games.

But, the upcoming games, pro and maybe college, will come with attachments. Will it come with passion? Time will tell, but on a warm summer Friday night in Farmington Utah, the boys in teal and black were victorious against their cross-county rivals.

And it was a lot of fun to watch.

Checking Out The XFL...

Almost one year ago--to the day--I wrote a blog about a new American football league. The AAF, the Alliance for American Football League began playing in several cities, Salt Lake City being one of them. It had coaches, reporters, TV rights, and even some fans.

Two months later I wrote another blog post...about the end of the AAF.

Sad.

New year, new league...well, kind of new. We've seen the XFL before. Back in 2001 the XFL had one season. You can say that's not very long (and it isn't...), but it lasted longer than the AAF.

So, how will the XFL version 2.0 do?

Good question.

I watched a majority of both games on Saturday (they broadcast two games on Saturday and two on Sunday...). I didn't watch as much on Sunday, not because I was disinterested, but because I was doing other things. The games I did see impressed me. Sure, it's not the quality of the NFL, but let's just say, they didn't embarrass themselves too badly. They played with heart. You could tell these were guys wanting to keep doing the thing they loved, even after someone told them they were done.  Of course, I'm not an expert of the quality of a football team, but I've watched my share of games over the past fifty-four years. 

I don't know if I'll be a die-hard fan. Last year, we had a local team, the Salt Lake Stallions. This year, no local team...same as the NFL.

If the new XFL survives past its inaugural season and we see professional football after the Superbowl in 2021, the new XFL will have outlived its two predecessors. I hope it does. But just like in 2001 and 2019, time will tell.

Watching A Bike Race Live...Or On TV?

For the past two years, the Tour of Utah has included my hometown of Farmington. And for the past two years, the event's taken place on a Friday and since I have Fridays off, I've been able to drive the 0.3 miles from my house, park the van, and watch the action live.

It's a really cool thing to see.

This year they changed things up a bit. The tour raced through the streets of our town not once, but twice. And they scheduled the riders to race on Thursday, not Friday. If I hadn't telecommuted, I would have missed the big show, but since I was working from home, we tracked the race on the computer. When the riders were about a mile away, we hopped in the van and caught the peloton as they flew by.

An hour or so later, we watched as they group biked into Bountiful and back toward our house. I had taken my break watching them the first time. I could have taken my second break (or worked an extra fifteen minutes...) and watched them live again.

We decided to stay home.

I wondered what I liked better. On the one hand I could continue working, get all my work done as my work week drew to a close. I was home in a climate-controlled environment. On the other hand, when I was watching them I could see the bikes, hear the sound of hundred of wheels roll across the pavement, experience the thrill of competition.

Each has it's pluses and minuses. I guess we'll have to see what we do next year, as long as they race continues to go through our little town.