end of the border war?

Today could be the last Missouri-Kansas football game for quite some time.  It is the second most played rivalry in college football (I believe Minnesota-Wisconsin have played one more time), for my money it is best, and it doesn't need to end.  Regardless of what anyone may think about Mizzou leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, and I have mixed feelings so I understand the anti-Mizzou arguments, it makes no sense to stop playing the game.

The schools need one another. Kansas fans can claim that K-State or someone else will become their biggest rival, but their reaction to Mizzou leaving the Big 12 helps prove that that isn't true.  As a Mizzou fan, I don't care about anyone in the SEC (beyond my lovely wife's alma matter, but I don't see that developing into much outside of the Bigelow household).  Our fanbase needs something to collectively dislike.  I even want the teams to continue to play basketball once a year, which certainly isn't going to help my team's win-loss record in the long run, but some things are more important than avoiding a team to schedule another likely win.

Beyond keeping the rivalry alive, both programs would be helped by continuing the game.  Who else is either school going to schedule, a D-II patsy in a game that won't generate much money for anyone other than Fort Hays State or whoever fills the hole in the schedule?  It isn't as though either team has a 100,000 seat stadium that is filled ever Saturday afternoon no matter the opponent.  Continuing to play the game is better for both teams' bottom lines and in program development.  It gives both schools, neither of which are football powerhouses, something to look forward to.  If KU wins today (they better not), it will be the best thing that has happened to their team all year.  Throughout the history of the series, this game is an outlier compared to how the teams play the rest of the year.  Overall the series is very close.

And the argument that leaving the conference dooms the rivalry is ridiculous.  A lot of schools play interconference rivalry games every year.  Today alone there is Florida-FSU, South Carolina-Clemson, and Georgia-Georgia Tech.  It isn't uncommon.  That is one thing if the game needs to be put on hold for a year to work out scheduling difficulties, but it needs to resume.

I'm certainly biased, but it would be pretty pathetic if one side were to back out of the Border War.

thanksgiving

This is the first Thanksgiving we have spent in DC in five years.  In 2007 we were in Brazil for the honeymoon, in 2008 we went to Uncle Perry's in New Jersey, in the 2009 we were at Maya and Tyson's wedding in Cabo, and last year we were with my family in Zihuantanejo.  I enjoy going elsewhere, but it was nice to be at home for Thanksgiving this year.

It was just the two of us, so Lelaine only made about ten pounds of food.  Instead of a full turkey she went and bought a turkey tenderloin and rolled/stuffed it with...stuffing.  It was really good.  Good enough that for now on I'm fine if we forgo the entire bird and just do the tenderloin.  She also made mashed potatoes, more stuffing, gravy, cranberries, asparagus, and pumpkin chiffon pie for dessert.

Everything was great, and I had nothing to do with it, other than to clean up afterwards.  The best part about it only being the two of us is that we have a lot of leftovers.

cruise 2011

This afternoon we returned from a week long trip to the Caribbean with my parents and brother.  This was our second consecutive November beach vacation, and I like the trend.

The first night and day (a day at sea) were a little rough.  We left from New Orleans and once we got out of the Mississippi and into the gulf, the water was pretty choppy.  Amazingly Lelaine was able to sleep through most of the night and wasn't too sick.  I thought that was a pretty big accomplishment considering that they handed out barf bags and I even had trouble sleeping, although some of my sleeping woes were due to the fact that I dislocated my knee playing soccer a couple weeks ago and am in a giant knee brace and must keep my right leg fully extended for six weeks.  A steady intake of Advil, Dos Equis (Dos Equis is to me what Robatusin is to Chris Rock), and stronger pain killers help, but sleeping is difficult.