Has anyone seen the summer of 2024?

Being an athlete from birth, I always judge the seasons by the sports we are in. My lookahead is usually also sports related.

It’s not Labor Day. It’s almost time for football, high school and college. It’s not September, are you ready for some football. NFL. Green Bay Packers. And yes, I do realize that I’ve made some enemies, but you have to remember I grew up in Wisconsin, so by law I have to be a Packer fan all my life.

Growing up all sports in my era was watching my team win the first two Super Bowls. I know it’s hard to believe that I look that old, but I can hear my daughter saying, “yes you do daddy.”

I watched the Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA championship in 1971 and as a sports editor for my high school newspaper I got to interview Lew Alcindor. Yeah, I know, most kids are like, “Lew Al-who?” I watched Al McGuire lead the Marquette Warriors (my mom’s alma mater) to the NCAA championship. Oh, and a year after I was born, the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series against the Bronx Bombers, though I don’t have much of a recollection of that.

I did get to watch my childhood hero, the late Hank Aaron hit home runs out of County Stadium.

The months of the year. January of course is NFL playoffs and February is Super Bowl month. At least the beginning. Then it gets pretty boring until March madness and the NCAA takes center stage. Although, being pelted with multiple inches of snow while watching guys golf in 70-degree weather was also a good time Sunday afternoon during the winter season. April is the MLB opener. May is graduation. June is summer basketball camp. July is the MLB all-star game and that puts us back to August. October is the big dance for the boys of summer, November is Thanksgiving Day football and December holds the high school basketball game openers and the holiday tournaments.

I do apologize to the other incredible sports which speak to your perspective months, but that was MY history growing up.

I did cheer for hockey occasionally – but only because my cousin, Davey Christian was playing for the University of North Dakota and went on to play for the Miracle on Ice team in Lake Placid in 1980. As a kid I used to kid him about how boring it must be playing a sport where they scored once every few weeks, but after the Olympics, he went on to make a ton of money in the NHL and I played semi-pro basketball and scored a lot of points. Yeah. Who’s laughing now?

It seems sad that our summers in the Midwest passed so quickly and our thoughts turned from innertubes to tire chains. Sorry, didn’t mean to harsh your mellow to all my readers back in Wyoming.

It will mean much more to me this year as the north winds come over the mountains and as much as I found myself complaining about the gazillion degree heat in Florida, I promised myself not to complain if I ever made it to a climate where the seasons actually exist – but not the snow. So, if you hear a cross word coming out of my mouth while I am shoveling our 1” annual snowfall this year or losing feeling in my extremities while photographing a football game in sub-freezing weather, keep the laughter under your breath or just slap me into the reality of home sweet home.

All of our sports teams are now on the practice fields as of a few weeks ago. Pre-Labor Day scores have already been recorded and blankets are coming out for the cool stadium nights under Friday night lights.

It won’t be long until we are singing fight songs, wearing our warrior’s colors, drinking hot chocolate and all of our senses taking in the smell of burning leaves, a chill in the air and EVERY SINGLE THING in spiced pumpkin… from scents to tastes to touch.

At this point of my life, it seems to be passing quicker. Like those sands in an hourglass. Seems like only yesterday I was cheering on my boys as they headed out to the gridiron. Although they are grown with children of their own, we still find the time to explore the mystique of “fantasy football.” A little surprising though that it’s my grandson who is winning all the fantasy trophies. And a little scary that the apple has not fallen far from the tree or the tradition.

And he has introduced a new sport to our family. In addition to hockey and football and basketball and baseball… he’s playing lacrosse. Something about sticks and pucks and vulcanized rubber balls… and being a Viking fan sends chills.

But I LOVE this time of year pumpkin spice and all. Oh, and… Go Pack Go.