I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures. ~Earl Warren

Watched most of the Giants Falcons game, then most of the Broncos Steelers game, and caught majority of Jet games during the regular season despite my summer resolution to take the year (or more?) off from the NFL. So the question I ask myself is...why am I still watching when I vowed not to, don't really feel all that involved when I do, and actually do have other things I'd rather (or say I'd rather) be doing? In answer, I've drawn up a list:

1. I'm hooked on the promise/expectation/thrill of high performance in a live and unpredictable setting. As they used to say on Wide World of Sports: "The human drama of athletic competition". I actually don't care that much about the score or the outcome. Though I root for the Jets, Mets and Knicks, I often find myself rooting more for a close and competitive match. If my team has a big lead, I often find myself pulling for the other team in order to enhance the drama.

2. It's real. In other words, it's not politics, or fiction or "reality" or the performing arts where to some extent you always know you're being played. Yes it's hyped and turned into vulgar spectacle sometimes, but the actual game on the field is more or less as close as anything gets to being fair, honest and true. Even in Boxing, where the fix is in more than we'd like to acknowledge, it's still a lot closer to a fair fight than anything you're going to see in the political arena .

3. The coverage is amazing. On HD TV it's ridiculously amazing. Every play from every angle in Slo-Mo and Super Slo-Mo and that's just a fraction of what modern technology has brought to the game. Actually too much for my taste now with the refs going to the replay to determine what happened on every close play. Begs the question--why still have refs at all? No way they can see what the cameras can and no way they can prevail in any way except keeping the peace on the field when the players get into the occasional extra-curiccular scrape.

4. The opportunity to coach from the sidelines. There is no denying the entertainment value of sitting in judgement and second guessing every play and every move. It's an illusion of empowerment and involvement that is as seductive as it is ultimately demoralizing--but then I reflect on the fact that practically everything is "ultimately" demoralizing and so I keep "coaching".





4. I don't really have anything better to do. Objectively speaking, of course I do...but I'm watching, so in fact, I don't.






5. I'm lazy.


















THE FRESCOS IN COIT TOWER SAN FRANCISCO.
A highlight from a recent trip to the Bay Area was discovering the murals here painted by local artists commissioned as part of depression era New Deal Public Works. It's a Diego Rivera inspired feast for the eyes and moving tribute to the history of California's workers and builders.You can find more with info and pix at: http://travelphotobase.com/s/CAFC.HTM
http://www.inetours.com/Pages/SFNbrhds/Coit_Tower.html

But here's a taste of some of them. Click on photo to enlarge.















And at the Art Institute is Diego Rivera's "Making A Fresco...



more info at: http://diegoriveragallery.com/visitor-information