Today's Thoughts

Jamie Watson's Cover

"So my concern is that we coaches don't arrogate to ourselves the right to remove from the spectacle the synonym of festival, in favour of a philosophical reading that cannot be sustained, which is to avoid taking risks. And in football there are risks because the only way you can avoid taking risks in any game is by not playing...
And to those who say all that matters is winning, I want to warn them that someone always wins. Therefore, in a thirty-team championship, there are twenty-nine who must ask themselves: what did I leave this club, what did I bring to my players, what possibility of growth did I give to my footballers?
...I want to win the match. But I don't give in to tactical reasoning as the only way to win, rather I believe that efficacy is not divorced from beauty..."
-Cesar Luis Menotti

It starts one day and may have finish the the next. Two days comprising the one day. The first day might be an autumn day, late autumn in dim, clear autumn light. Cold, dark, we wake in darkness, pulling on our suits, glad it isn't quite as cold and dark as deep winter, and the suits aren't as thick as all that. The swell appears crystalline, frosted by the frigid sun. Just above the belly, just below the neck, the espressos pressing our jaws into jabbering between sets. We sit in front of the T.V. steaming, ventilating, watching sports. Soccer, yes, baseball, maybe. Football. Someone has made chili! Or bratwurst. And they've brought beer! Or red wine. We roll off the couch in the afternoon to kick the ball in the park. Someone stays behind to read a book. Coming back to play cards. Thick wintry pasta around a long table. The second half of the day, the second day, blooms early. In summer. Half summer, just around the longest day. Just before. We make espressos on the stove in the espresso pipe. We pull on our t-shirts and amble down to the beach. The surf is good then less good so we switch to body womping. After a while we laugh at how early it still is. The cold beer goes well with the eggs and beans and hot sauce. Someone bought the paper! There is a call to ride around, maybe shop the yard sales. Someone, no, two or three people, stay at the house, reading the paper in the backyard and drinking coffee. I am one of those people. We play ball, kicking back and forth. Should we wait or go to the beach now? Let's drink a couple beers then go, they'll know where to find us. The water is seasonably warm, the sun beats down and we head back. Everyone is back. Show and tell. Music. Someone with guitar. Sandwiches and fruit. A nap in the sun. The afternoon session is a building swell, evening glass without a whisper of wind. Someone has brought a pizza! This prolongs our session. When we get back we barbecue. More music. More people show up. Lots more. And more family. A salad. Drinking, dancing, a fire in the fire pit out back. And it's warm enough to sleep outside. No mosquitoes!