The Best Season Ever

Yesterday, I took another trip up to State College to see the last Penn State game of the season.  That meant I had to set my alarm for 5:30AM on a Saturday, spend nearly 7 hours in the car going up there and back, and stand outside in the bitter cold for almost 8 hours.  Needless to say, it was a wonderful day.  Let me give you three reasons why.

• First, is there any kind of party better than a tailgate party?  I don't think so.  At a tailgate party, you can wear thermal underwear, show it to everyone else, and have them look at you with envy.  You can eat fried chicken with gloves on your hands.  Best of all, as long as you bring your own trash bag, someone else hauls your party trash away.  That's my kind of party.
• Second, Nick hosted me in the student section again.  We were in Row 3, in the southeast corner of the end zone.  When I turned around to look at the crowd of people surrounding me, there wasn't anyone in sight who was within 20-25 years of my age.  The fact that Nick thinks it's fun to have me there with him in that crowd is the coolest thing ever for a father.  Getting on TV -- and the in-stadium big screen -- with him was the capper.
• Third, it was so much fun to root for this Penn State team this year.  Seeing them win in overtime last night was just incredible.  I'm not going to climb back up on my soap box and give you a speech about my feelings about Penn State, Joe Paterno, and the NCAA (check the blog archives if you want to re-hash all that; I'm sure you'll find a couple entries).  Instead, I'm just going to focus on how this team of young men accomplished so much and did it with such character.  They found themselves in a situation that they did not create.  I've often taken the easy path in life.  The reason why is simple -- it's not called the easy path for nothing.  These young men could have done the same.  But, they didn't.  When they gathered in our corner of the end zone to sing the alma mater at the end of the game and ring the Victory Bell (thiry-one of them for the last time in their Penn State careers), the joy on their faces was so awesome to see.  They'd stuck with it, staying true to themselves and to their teammates.  I am so happy for them.