I realized on Friday that if I wanted to watch the game, I needed to get my DirecTV back up and running, it's been down for a while. Should have done it earlier, just don't watch much TV anymore, so it wasn't high on my list of things to do.
I called, they said the first time they had available was Monday. Oh well, I figured I could stream it on the computer. Which was interesting to say the least.
Prior to the game The Missus Herself and I had a couple of errands to run, upstairs bathroom faucet drips unless you shut it off just right. Which was tolerable but when the jobber-doo (sorry, technical term, I guess in layman's terms that would be a thingie, or perhaps a doo-hickey) which you push and pull to stop up the sink rusted in half, I figured it was time to swap it out. (Pushing the stopper closed by hand and prying it open with a screwdriver was getting just a little old.)
Then while we're out there, we had a couple of other stops to make, went to eat, and by the time we got home, fed the feline staff, then found the game online, Navy was already behind by 10.
What's more, to get the game free (I admit it I'm cheap about some things) I had to settle for Sumdood on YouTube who had his camera pointed at his TV set to see the game. As the sound from Sumdood's TV wasn't all that good, and Sumdood took it upon himself to comment on the game, rather than rely on the professional announcers, I switched back and forth between the game and old episodes of The Walking Dead.
I'm up to season three of that, it's interesting enough but I can see why I didn't jump right on that when it first came out. Exceedingly violent and gory, but there are some interesting human interactions between the cast. At least the cast who aren't zombies. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Anyway, I already saw all the episodes of the latest season of The Last Kingdom (I've read all the books save the latest but the TV series is pretty goof) so I needed another series to binge watch.
Anyhoo.
Army looked good, Navy did not. The game didn't seem to be as close as the score might let on. Does either team know that the rules allow for throwing the ball? While I'm all for tradition, I swear the game gets more boring every year. Army's new coach has Navy's number, Ken, you've had a good run but I think it might be time to go.
That's all I've got.
Maybe next year Middies, we'll see.
Retired Air Force Master Sergeant, current Navy Dad, begging for apologies from my Army ancestors, but none of y'all actually went to West Point and I've got friends who did go to Annapolis, had two of the progeny accepted there, but they chose ROTC instead. While I do have a friend who went to West Point, we did high school together, my loyalty lies with the Middies.
Sigh...
That's ok, if the Middies lost that just means that they were spending more time on learning how to run subs and big ships instead of focusing on football plays...I'm good with that. That way there should be less crashes of ships in the future.
ReplyDeleteOne hopes (Prays).
DeleteGood point Suz.
DeleteJuvat, roger that.
DeleteTry the Sharpe series but I don't think it is free anywhere. The books are by Bernard Cornwell who also wrote the Last Kingdom. I have all of the Sharpe series and the first two of last Kingdom on DVD.
ReplyDeleteOh I have, been reading those since I was barely an E-2! His writing is superb, you should read his three volume take on the Arthurian legend. Very good, lots of shield walls there as well!
DeleteAh, the trick. Army brat living in Newport RI with army dad attending the Naval War College and the Army Navy game came up in Brenton Village. Joined the Navy. The adults and their husbands attending war college had so much fun with the game. Still have yet to see even a single episode of the walking dead but it is on my list. You know, once you decide to repeat rereading Delderfield things take a little longer.
ReplyDeleteThe old rivalry lives on in places.
DeleteAs to Delderfield Seven Men of Gascony is a favorite. Shame he died so young, only 60 as I recall.
Delderfield is a wonderful author!! And he writes nice looong books that take quite a while to get through! The curse of a rapid reader is that normal books (250-500 pages)just don't last very long at all, a day or so.
DeleteI think I have everything he ever wrote. My favorite was God is an Englishman. I liked that he wrote the ladies in his stories are not just babes, but actual positive contributing members. You know, like real life...
I need to read more of his work then.
DeleteSo many good books to read!
I think I can hear my grandmother having a spitting tissy fit in her grave, as her husband was an Annapolis graduate. NAVY played like they were a good high school team. Army played like they were collegiate material. But yes, mayhaps it is because the Navy players were actually students and scholars first, athletes second. Otherwise, if they were athletes first, well, hate to think of what we're graduating out of those schools...
ReplyDeleteWay back when Mrs. Andrew was attending FSU via online methods, we were able to watch the games on the Florida sports network replayed a day late with pro-school reporters. It was fun listening to reporters actually give information on the game, the players on both sides, the rivalry, AND shut the hell up so the real sportscasters could announce the play as if it was a radio show. So you could kinda watch the game and if something neat started happening, the excitement of the sportscaster would tell you to pay attention. We watched 5 years of FSU during the last of the Bobby Bowden phase this way and only 'important' games that were only shown on network were watched on network, which sucked.
Couple years later, no more Sunshine Network and we have to watch games on ESPN or SUMTreeLetterNetwork and the game experience sucked. So we'd record the game, I'd determine whether it was a good game or not (winning is always good, but losing while NOT looking like a 2nd rate High School game was okay, too) and we'd watch it recorded. That way we had control over stupid commercials or dumb half-times or could go back and re-look at individual plays on slow speed.
Last year the reporting was really bad and the enjoyment level was horrible. Neither of us like getting preached at by professional talking monkeys, so, well, ESPN et al, TRUMP WON! GET OVER IT!
This year the reporting was even more spectacularly bad, and FSU was worse than a third rate High School team, so we just stopped watching. I mean, when Mrs. Andrew was going to school for her Bachelor's, the center played extremely well on a broken ankle all season long while graduating with honors in Physics AND another science. Last year they had players suspended for not keeping their grades up in 'sports edumecachun.' The joy is gone.
Hopefully Navy pulls their heads out of their portholes.
Though the overwhelming support for the Commander in Chief by all the cadets from both schools was definitely a plus-one!
As to Zombie-fiction, I live in a College/Socialist town. Lots of zombies around if I want to see them. I mean, my city council is working on banning plastic bags and Styrofoam because apparently our landfill is providing both to the ocean and killing sea turtles or some other enviro carpola that is bullscat. If that happens, I'll drift down to Ocala and buy plastic shopping bags from their Sams and bring my own to stores just to fruck with them.
Watching anything on ESPN requires an iron stomach, I loath that network. Shame as they were good a long, long time ago.
DeleteNavy did look bad yesterday, Army's new coach (well, new compared to Navy's) seems to know his business.
Long ago at PSU we watched the games with the sound off and the stereo playing The Doors at volume 11 or plus 15. If commentary was bad in 1979 I can't imagine how far it has degenerated the age of .......PC.
DeleteCase Western was playing zombies the first couple of years here but it's been almost half a dozen years without a zombie sighting or kids carrying nerf guns.
With the sound off, I've watched a couple of games that way. I need to find a soundtrack of crowd noise.
DeleteLocally, the guys on the radio are far better than the TV guys.
Yackety sax works, until you get tired of listening to it.
DeleteHahaha!
DeleteWould last longer than the guys on the telly.
Hi.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
Hello. :)
DeleteYou're welcome!
Hi (checks under the bed, nope, not there) Paul!
DeleteHahaha!
DeleteAW:
DeleteWhy do you seem to think that I wish to consort with your collection of dust bunnies?
Paul
Hhmm.
DeleteBecause you're secretly reporting to Mrs. Andrew as to the status of vacuuming or not vacuuming under the bed?
DeleteOr...
Paranoia, it's my normal state of life. :)
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean somebody is not out to get you.
Delete;)
"Because you're secretly reporting to Mrs. Andrew as to the status of vacuuming or not vacuuming under the bed?"
DeleteWhile it is true that I have lived in your town, that was around two decades ago. I really have no interest in the state of conditions under your bed. Besides, under the bed is a very poor place to hide. Everyone checks there and it takes too long to get out from under. If I WERE to wish to hide in your house, you would never think to look where I'd be.
Paul
Ruh-roh!
DeleteHey Old AFSarge;
ReplyDeleteIt was a good game and and when I was a sprite, I had dreams of being a naval aviator and was a fan of the Navy but I got older and joined the Army like my dad and granddad and ete,ete. I supported the Army...and still support them today. It is on my bucket list to go to a game.
That would be awesome, to be there.
DeleteMy 1st cousin Lt Gen C.M. Talbott and his college room mate A.J Hughes (who married Maurices sister) were W.P. '43 grads and Dad was Army OCS of 42 and ETO vet so I grew up rooting for the Black Knights. My wifes father was Army in WW II also and two of her brothers were Army Viet Vets so I'm the only odd man out these day tho I still root for Army save for when they play the AF Academy.
ReplyDeletevx: Where did your father do his OCS? My father went through OCS somewhere in Florida in 1942. However, my father was Army Air Corps, so maybe they went to different OCSs.
DeletePaul L. Quandt
Paul/
DeleteIIRC his was at Ft. Benning, GA. for Inf. Fort Sill OK was for Arty, dunno about Army Air--even WIKI omits it..
I would be seriously interested in hearing the stories of your respective fathers, and sharing them herein should you find it appropriate.
DeleteAll my ancestors were enlisted, in WWII Dad was too young, missed it by a year, he turned 17 in June '45. His two brothers served in the war, Uncle Louis with the Army Air Forces in the Pacific, Uncla Charlie was an infantryman in the ETO. Great Uncle John (on my Mom's side) was also an infantryman in the ETO.
While it's sad that the Greatest Generation slowly passes into history, I shall cherish their memory until I close my own eyes for the last time. I hope my ids and grandkids keep up the tradition of remembering and honoring those who served before them.
Dang, it just got dusty in here...