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2008: Like Driving Across Kansas

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"Not even a telephone pole to ram and end my misery."

When I was courting the future Mrs. Southlandish, I had to drive a long, flat (and seemingly endless) 15 mile road to get to her home. Everyone who has ever driven it swears it’s at least twice as long as it actually is.

That’s what I thought of when a friend of mine aptly assessed the upcoming sports year. “It’s going to be a long time until we get to September and anything we can get excited about.”

To put it charitably, the Illini basketball team is abysmal. The Rose Bowl thumping stings, the Cardinals off-season was dreary even before we re-signed Aaron Fucking Miles for stupid money and I think it is safe to say we won’t be competitive in the NL Central in 2008. The only bright spot on the sports horizon is word that the Illini football recruiting continues to be stellar.

That means waiting until the August 30 Braggin’ Rights Game for any reasonable hope of sporting excitement in my little corner of the world. I guess it’s time to work on that novel I’ve been putting off…..

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Comments

Rich Horton said…
That's the beauty of MLS.

I know you were holding off on a rooting interest to see if Real Collinsville comes to be...but you may just enjoy coming in a year or two early.

Yeah...its the dark side, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.
January 7, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Southlandish said…
I'll no doubt watch more MLS this summer, especially since I doubt Selig gets his paws on my wallet with the MLB TV package this year. I'm also looking forward to the Champions League finals and Euro 2008, though the latter is marred by the absence of an England quarter-final flame out and its attendant wailing and gnashing of teeth. Let's just hope the Cubs suck too so we can watch the Cubbie fans cry. Sadism is never pretty but I'm clinging to it like a life raft these days.
January 7, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Anonymous said…
Southlandish, I recommend that you either abstain from sports altogether this coming year, or stock up on your single malt collection, especially if you pin your hopes on Illinois football. If somebody told you that after the 2005 Final Four and the Cards World Series title, that in the year 2008 you were pinning all your hopes on Illini football, you would have thought them crazy. But then again, the miserable bastard that you are, you probably would have shook your head and said, "Well, that wouldn't surprise me in the least. At least there should be another Flashman novel coming out..."

Walt
January 10, 2008 at 11:50 PM
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