Updated Aug. 22
Every few years he comes down from his mountaintop to descend into our pitiful lives, enriching them once again.
That's another way of saying The Boss is in town Sunday. That means church is in session. A Bruce Springsteen concert is something of a religious experience, an evangelical one. After three hours you leave the building sweating through your clothes, having been taken to a higher place.
I'm hoping for a convert. I'm taking young Jack, 11, who is seeing his first Springsteen concert. I've seen a few. No, a lot. Dallas, Kansas City, St. Louis. I'm not selling furniture to follow him around the country, but you get the idea. I told Jack it's going to be loud, but I'm hoping after church is out he will be uplifted, too.
It happened to me 30 years ago almost to the day -- Thanksgiving 1978. In the small Kiel Opera House (3,000 seats), my friends and I found out why they call him The Boss.
It was like having a revival in your living room. I remember a then 27-year-old Bruce running through aisles playing Spirits in the Night. A stark spotlight shining down as he sang the haunting Point Blank. Remember, that's three decades ago. I can't find my car keys in the morning but I can give you set list from that night.
Back then Bruce was coming off his second album (remember those?), Darkness on the Edge of Town. I was converted that year at the University of Missouri when I heard a bunch of students from the East Coast blasting his music out of a dorm window. That's the way things started back then. No I-Pods or downloads, just word of mouth.
Anyway, Bruce is 57 now. We're not contemporaries, just in the same decade of life. At 57, I hope I'm sucking on a cigar somewhere in the Caribbean (Cohiba, please). Bruce is still pounding out love, passion, truth, life and music.
From Greetings from Asbury Park to Magic, it has all been magic.
Get ready to get your face blown off, Jack. It's going to be worth it on a school night.
This week's sports takes from the masses ...
From: Chase
oh no.. ohhhhhhh no..... he's (Jimmy Clausen) at a party with beer, he's 20 years old, he doesn't have a beer in his hand.. BUT, he does have a red dress shirt on! me oh my, punish him.. seriously guy, find something better to write about.. moron, and i hate your picture, change it..
Avedon:
It wasn't a dress shirt. J.C. looked like one of the Solid Gold Dancers. Eeeew!
From: Max
How's (Charlie) Weis NOT on the hot seat right now?! It's maddening, especially after how crappy Notre Dame treated Ty Willingham. Weis was brought in to beat USC and win bowl games, which Willingham couldn't do. Well, we're entering year four, and still no bowl game wins, no wins over USC, and Weis has only ONE more win than Ty.
Maxed Out:
You're channeling half of ND Nation and all the ND haters. Believe me, Charlie's under pressure. Beyond that, all I can tell you is that Weis has a bigger buyout than Ty had.
From: harmsy
ACL Injuries -- I played D-III football and have had and have seen numerous injuries, but the number of ACL injuries is mystifying to me. I don't know of any way to mitigate against such injuries because they are normally freakish in some way.
But with all of the injuries in major league baseball, and now the injuries at the college football level, I wonder if there has been an overemphasis on weight/muscle development or other aspects and less emphasis on something e.g. flexibility that makes the ACL more susceptible to injury.
Sorry for the length of this, but I had major joint trauma in my shoulder, both knees and both ankles when playing football, but I was also very flexible and never had a ligament tear that I know of.
Harms Way:
You know, I've been thinking a lot about that myself. You're referring to the five season-ending ACLs at Florida. At some point or another, weight training and/or performance-enhancing drug issues crossed my mind.
It would be unfair to accuse Florida -- or any school -- but when they start to accumulate at one program it seems something weird is going on.
This started happening in baseball years ago. That's why you see teams (or most teams) stretching out on the field before games.
From: Donnell
Why on earth do you give so much respect towards Ohio State when even with their 18 starters they didn't prove anything? They lose to the real rank teams and played the easiest schedule last year. Shouldn't that mean anything to you?
Bucked:
Yeah, I would say they're about due.
From: Bruce
Find out what Reggie Bush did with his $300,000. There is a story I would like to see pictures of.
Reggie Hound:
He didn't invest that illicit cash in offseason training, that's for sure. Hey, Reggie, please turn DOWN a commercial.
From: Trey
Tim Teeeee..... Sorry, I dozed off. Does anyone remember that TENNESSEE won the SEC East last year? Respect?
Three-Point Shooter:
Yes, you did doze off and, yes, Erik Ainge graduated.
From: stinkypiggy
In your 25 things article, how can you have Ohio State as your No. 1 in point 2 then call it the upset of the year if they beat USC? Is there anyone that edits your columns, or do you just have journalistic freedom to say whatever you want?
Smelly Hog:
First, it was AN upset of the year, not THE upset of the year. Second, USC will go into that game favored. USC has lost something like TWO non-conference games in the past six years. I call that an upset.
I don't know if you've followed the game lately but it's really, really hard to go undefeated. Ohio State has the perfect team to go on the road and beat USC. It's secondary is veteran. USC's receivers are average. It has the ability to control the clock with a big offensive line and Beanie Wells (who will be the best back on the field that day). And, please, someone tell me Mark Sanchez is head and shoulders above Todd Boeckman.
And, yes, I can say whatever I want.
From: Mike
Dennis, you have forgotten the face of your father. Upsets at Michigan are like four leaf clovers and lightning strikes. While making wild upsets is part of the preseason fun, try not to destroy all of your credibility before the first game.
Michigan will return to dominance with Rich Rod. Remember, we recruit top athletes every year. While we may have missed out on a few high profile kids, the fact remains, we are loaded with world class athletes that will surprise a few haters this year. Bring on the Suckeyes! Go Blue!
All Blue:
Um, you might want to save this e-mail until after the opener against Utah.
By the way, found a four-leaf clover this week and I'm paying for a roof that got struck by lightning.
From: dksam
The Penguins will upset Ohio St. on 8/30. Mark it down.
Wrong Board:
I didn't know hockey started so early.
