THE LAST FIVE ...

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101 in 1001
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Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002 - 10:42 a.m.

And it begins

Good morning, and welcome to the fall. It's college football season.

About three days ago, the weather decided to throw some variety at us, to make a change for once. Instead of hot, sticky, humid days and stuffy nights, Mother Nature threw some rain at us, and the past two days have been steadily improving. Yesterday was overcast and cool, with the clouds breaking around dusk. Today is perfect. Sunny, upper 60s, a soothing breeze, all just in time.

ESPN's College Gameday is broadcasting from the University of Michigan this morning, Penn State kicks off at noon, and the Irish will face Maryland tonight in the final Kickoff Classic at the Meadowlands. As September rolls around each year, I am reminded that it really is my favorite season. I love summer, but the autumn weather is so much more agreeable. I get as much a feeling of rebirth and renewal in the fall as I do in spring, if not more. April has the return of leaves and flowers and baseball, the fall has the return of leaves to the ground and school and football.

I consider baseball's opening day a holiday, and I love all the day games that take place across the country. It's one of my favorite days of the year. But I think college football's opening day is more thrilling. It's a shorter season, for one, and the games mean more individually. And although some teams have played already, the real opening day for college football comes with the first full Saturday schedule. Campuses across America come alive, most of them in small towns and backwoods burgs, or at least their own neighborhoods in the big cities. Seniors are seasoned and geared for their final school year; freshmen are wide-eyed and awed at their first college games. And alumni around the world pull out their t-shirts and sweatshirts and get together with classmates and fellow fans to watch in the living room, the back yard, the corner bar, or the stadium itself.

With Notre Dame kicking off at 8 p.m. tonight just 15 minutes away in the swamps of Jersey, I'll be there, along with my family, Casey, and several of my classmates. It's my first ND game since the horrendous 2001 Fiesta Bowl, which was a great time in Arizona but a difficult three hours at Sun Devil Stadium. And next weekend, I'll be in South Bend for my first ND home game since the first game of the 1999 season. Wow. I can't believe it's been that long. That hurts.

So here I am at 10:42 on a Saturday morning, typing away on a beautiful sunny day. I logged on to search some sites for information for my final minor-league baseball column so that I can be finished with it early this afternoon.

Then it's time to devote my attention to ESPN and ABC and college football.

Stereotypical guy, I know.

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