Happy New Year!

Much to the chagrin of my friends who root for the Washington Nationals, I am here to wish everyone a happy start to Washington's sports year! The Redskins played the Colts last night in the Hall of Fame game, kicking off the NFL pre-season, and coincidentally, the first universally important sports event of 2008. (OK - technically, the Skins did play a playoff game back in January, but the American sports calendar - at least in DC - begins in July and ends after the Super Bowl, so the Skins/Seahawks game was, for the purposes of this blog played in SY2007)

I am happy to report the Skins gave Jim Zorn a nice gift - a 30 - 16 win for his first game as a head coach, even though the game itself was pretty meaningless. In fact, I did not watch even a second of it, as I am in the midst of 1:30am wake-up hell while working at WBAL. Besides, for pre-season games, the highlights on line always suffice:




For me, football IS the start of a new year. It is a joy to start reading ESPN.com again... and looking at the Redskins insider blog on the Washington Post website... and ordering the Redskins special at Papa John's (a free topping for every touchdown the Skins score, plus double toppings if they win... so that's EIGHT toppings for last night's game... )... and setting the TiVo for every game so I can watch the whole thing in 45 minutes and still not miss a play!

There is an enthusiasm for the Skins this season that is exciting to follow... Of course, in all fairness, the Redskins could be the worst team in football, and there would still be a certain enthusiasm for the team... that's what makes a fan a fan! I have no idea how well they'll do this season, but I do know I'll watch every game - at least once they start counting!

For me, the start of football means the end of summer is near, which is just fine by me. By the time the season starts after Labor Day, I'll be able to open the windows and enjoy the fall weather... before long, I'll be able to cook up a pot of chili to ward off the crisp cool evenings... and if the Skins are any good, I'll even be able to talk the missus into watching with me. I might even crack open a beer, which is something I pretty much only do when I'm watching football.

Are you ready for some football? Hell, yes I am!