2010 Montana Grizzly Football Season begins Sept 4

The Grizzlies host the Division II Mountaineers of Western State from Gunnison, Colorado on Saturday, September 4th, at 1:05 pm, in Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Opening Day at Montana usually draws a good crowd, and the weather looks good for Saturday, with a high near 80 degrees.

We are looking forward to seeing what the new Grizzly head coach, Robin Pflugrad, brings onto the field.

The man under center is Andrew Selle, who led the Griz to the FCS championship game last year.  The Griz took that loss to Vanderbilt pretty hard, and now the pre-season rankings have Vanderbilt number 1 and the Grizzlies at number 2.

The Grizzlies lost a number of star players to graduation, but the main man in the backfield is coming back for another season.  Chase Reynolds, along with quarterback Andrew Selle, is a Walter Payton Award candidate.

There's a lot of pre-game hype to handle, but both players bring experience and maturity to the home opener.

The Grizzlies should handle the Mountaineers with little trouble.

Springing Up with March Madness

Wow, the first day of spring arrived and I hardly noticed! 

Perhaps it's because we expect snow again. I tried to rake and de-thatch the lawn, but the portion of the back yard that sits in the shade all winter is still frozen solid. So, for me, it just doesn't feel very "springy." Not yet.

There are not very many markers that signal the beginning of spring.   

March Madness is the first sign of spring for some of us. 

Basketball dominated the weekend television and I admit to spending some time watching the "bracket busters" play havoc with the big guys. 

Our Montana Grizzlies were a #14 seed and they were defeated in the first round by the New Mexico Lobos, a #3 seed. 


I've noticed that the Women's NCAA tournament generally has fewer upsets.  I wouldn't be surprised to see all four #1 seeds make it to the end.  Here in Missoula, Montana, we watch the Stanford Cardinal because one of the Players, Joselyn Tinkle, is the daughter of our Montana Grizzly head coach.  Since the Grizzlies traveled to San Jose, California, to play the Lobos, father and daughter Tinkle got to see each other.

Our March "Madness" isn't over, of course.  Nearly everyone I know makes up a "bracket" of their own to predict the outcome of games.  Lots of people want to see the little guys upset the favorites, but I still want to see a Final 4 that includes at least a couple of #1 seeds; otherwise, would the best teams in the country really be playing for the national championship?  I think the field of 64 is too big, but that's not likely to change.

For most of the high school and college teams in the country, the season is over and we just have to remember that there is always next year.
  

Saint Patrick Has His Day

Yes, today is Saint Patrick's Day.


For whatever reason, it is celebrated with Green Beer and Parades that feature old guys making fools of themselves.


And politicians must make their parade appearance too. (But, toned down a little. They want to be just one of the "regular folks" but don't want any photos to show up later that might require some explaining.)


In Montana the center-stage of St. Patrick's Day events is BUTTE.  Locals referred to their city as "BUTTE AMERICA" and are very proud of their Irish heritage. In Butte everyone gets to be Irish for a day, and wives, girlfriends and Moms all pray that their boys come home safely.


OUTRAGEOUS.

Groundhog Day and Halfway to Spring

February 2nd marks the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.


Seasons are how we "divide" up the year. Humans love to categorize things, although seasonal changes probably affect vegetation and animal life more so than that of humans.

We observe the changing of the seasons in my part of the country because it is COLD, then WET, then HOT, then Football.  Many of us live in Montana because we enjoy the experience of different seasons.  In summer, lawn mowing, wildfires, golf, fishing and camping occupy our attention.  In autumn, it is the changing colors, the smells, new television season, and football.  Winter brings snow shoveling and winter sports.  I don't do winter sports any more.  Never much cared for getting cold and wet. Ski, Snowboard, Snowshoe, Ice Skate, Ice Fish, Ice Carving, Sledding and Ski-Joring (look that one up) all have followers who evidently love to get wet and cold.

Spring brings wet weather and more snow.  Lots of snow, usually. Heavy and wet snow, not powder.   But, eventually, even in Montana, spring means gardening. 



By the way, I think Groundhog Day is a great movie.  Bill Murray at his best.