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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The First Game


I told myself after the scrimmage that there was no need for pregame jitters. I had gotten my first licks in, and my talent level was vastly superior to that of the locals. But sure enough, come game day, this past Saturday, I woke up with my stomach in knots, the same knots I had throughout my season in the Big East. It was a combination of nervous anticipation, excitement, and above all else, a renewed love for the game.

Before the first snap, the referree informed me I’d be sporting one more helmet sticker, a giant white “A” on the back. They told me it was so they could tell who the “Class-A” players were (also known as “imports”) but I know it was really for AMERICAN.

Coin toss. We defer. Tremendous—we’ll get to set the tone on defense. Opening kick off—opposing team takes it to the house for 6. Defense will have to wait.

Their D-line was atrocious, at one point an exchange between myself and a D-linemen amounted to my suggestion that, “for five Euros, I’ll show you how to pass rush after the game.” Their linebacking core, on the other hand, was extremely strong and athletic—definitely the strong suit of their defense. It was a back an forth battle for most of the first half, they’d score, we’d score. They’d score, we’d score. And so on, until it was 28-21 at the break. The final score would be 50 to 31 with my team coming up on the short end. However, despite the loss I still had fun. It was good to “be a football player again.”

"15 Yards?!? For What?...this is football, not soccer".

....the rest of the story HERE

and the interview:
get to 1:57 seconds--where I begin.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

where can I view the rest of the story? There is no link. Or am I an idiot?

Anonymous said...

youtube game clips/interviews were interesting. one thing that was REALLY disappointing about the game videos was the background drum (one) and those dang horns! maybe the noise didn't bother you guys on the field, but that doused my fan experience exponentially.

Anonymous said...

jay_tray1026,

you can read at:

http://www2.nesn.com/rob-lunn/2009/03/30/first-game-of-the-season/

Avitia said...

Good stuff as always Rob!
Being in the Navy I have been able to see other places and be able to see the beauty of the world. It has also tought to better appreciate what we have as Americans in our own country.
I hope you have fun both on and off the field and continue to purue the goals you have set for yourself.
Jesse

Anonymous said...

whew, glad to know the 'A' was white. FWG in no way resembles Hester Prinn.

Lizkauai said...

Nice!
Keep on keeping on!