Thursday, December 29, 2005

It was a neat atmosphere throughout the San Antonio airport yesterday as I awaited my flight. The airport was inundated with Cornhusker and Wolverine fans on their way back home, fresh off Wednesday evening's dramatic, exciting finish in the Alamo Bowl.

For those who did not see the last play, Michigan, trailing by four points with 70 yards to go, threw a series of seven lateral passes -- forward some 25 yards and then backward some 20 yards, before moving forward again (this time with both benches spilling onto the field, reminiscent of the historic Cal-Stanford game). Thanks to two heady Cornhusker defenders, Michigan's tight end, who caught the final lateral pass of a play that lasted 40 seconds, was hauled down about the 15 yard line.

It was the most dramatic finish since that epic game in Berkeley and the airport was abuzz about the play this morning. In the checkout line at Starbucks and in the seats around me as we waited in line to board, all voices seemed to sound a common refrain, "What a way to end a ballgame!"

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Maybe it was all the football talk in the air that forced me into the gift shop bookstore to purchase Michael Holley's book Patriot Reign. It is an insightful chronicle of the New England Patriots in general and Bill Belichick's coaching strategy in particular during the 2001-2003 seasons.

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Finally, for all the Marble Falls family, a very exciting month awaits you in February, 2006. Our focus will be on "Home Improvement" through February. The month will culminate on the final weekend (February 26-March 1) with the coming of Jerry and Linda Jones for their excellent Marriage Matters Workshop. Mark your calendars now for this special opportunity for marriage enrichment.