racingmeridian.com

Society is fractured today with multiple technologies and numerous channels.

It is hard to find any sense of community.

I had the strangest feeling watching the Dallas Cowboys - Denver Broncos game this past Sunday. I felt a warmth and comfort in the knowledge that millions around North America would be watching “America’s Team” as they grappled with the “surprise” squad of the 2009 season. If you were a football fan, you were likely in front of the TV either cursing or imploring the athletic undertakings of Tony Romo.

I felt a wave of nostalgia for an era when conversations on Monday inevitably revolved around the game the network put on at 4pm. Beautiful feeling, the 4pm game. You’ve finished the work, probably done the wash and the shopping, been to church, and now the absolute calm and relaxation of settling in front of the tube with the rest of the continent for a taste of the world’s greatest sport.

Don’t get me wrong. I can be as demented as the next guy. Hey, who, because of a colossally stupid pick in a pool, watched virtually every game played by the 2008 St Louis Rams? I sure didn’t see you around when bartenders would grumble, within earshot, “Some asshole asked us to put on the Rams game”!

It was nice to put all the fragmentation aside, all the complexities of 2009, and simply go with the flow - a pigskin current that said, hey dude, its 4pm and the Cowboys are on, you know what to do…

 GRID IRON..I love the Sporting News and generally can’t make it through a day without consulting its many fine writers. So, I approach as a friend, but the time, friend, has come to unload on their NFL previews. They are god awful! So trite and obvious, the keys to a win are so straightforward and self-evident that even Joe Theismann would find them dull. For instance, keys to the New York Jets defeating the Miami Dolphins this week include “protecting the ball” and “creating good field position”. Ugh. Bloody ridiculous pap smearing a generally good publication…ICE..I was stunned to hear one of my wishes, expressed here last week, has come to fruition. Theo Fleury has authored a book and it will be released on Wednesday. The release date has to make one believe the recent aborted comeback was likely a publicity stunt. It was very effective in putting Theo back in the news. The book will apparently deal with the Theo’s knowledge and involvement in the Graham James/Sheldon Kennedy situation. I intend to read the book. Theo has been unfairly pilloried by the media and the scope of his accomplishments has never been recognized. The book should allow a greater appreciation of the obstacles he overcame, most of them whispered by the water cooler or in corridors…Nikolai Zherdev, leading scorer for the New York Rangers last year, and a reputed nut bar, has signed with Atlant Moscow Oblast of the KHL…PUG LIFE..living legend Israel Vasquez returns to the junior bantamweight wars Saturday night in Los Angeles. The pugilist has been off for over a year and a half recovering from injuries sustained during his brilliant trilogy with Rafael Marquez. Hope some kind souls sees fit to stream the fight on Justin TV…