Friday Night Lights
Roger Carlson
There’s a sense, it seems to me, that in times like these there are
not very many important things that one does over the course of a day,
that most everything on the regular schedule is pretty trivial.
I’ve thought about that a lot since Tuesday morning, putting together
the various local sporting items for publication, frankly feeling a
little guilty that my attention is directed to these matters, instead of
the overwhelming stories of grief and horror and of the impending
retaliation and, I fear, a never-ending war with insanity and hate.
Despite the knowledge that some would suggest our priorities our
warped ... (just how important is a high school football game on a Friday
night?), there is only one answer to all this and that’s to keep going
wherever it can be accomplished.
Major League baseball, the NFL and virtually all national events have
been put on the back burner. Transportation problems in these circles, at
these moments, forces many of those decisions.
But on the local scene, transportation is not a problem and the games
are going on.
We have Corona del Mar hosting Troy at Newport Harbor tonight, and
Costa Mesa is at Westminster. Estancia is at Aliso Niguel. And Newport
Harbor, which had its game postponed until Saturday, will travel to
Westminster to duel Marina.
Orange Coast College’s 1 p.m. date with visiting LA Harbor on Saturday
goes on, as well.
And well they should.
These games, as well as all of the others - water polo and cross
country, soccer and volleyball, AYSO and Pop Warner football, play a
major part in our lives.
Friday Night Lights are moments that are relished for a lifetime.
The players and fans, the cheerleaders and coaches, the upsets and
setups, scrambling around Saturday morning to read the game accounts, all
play a huge role in process of life, and terrorists, who managed to
complete their rotten deeds in New York City and Washington, D.C.,
certainly have no right to collateral damage.
We have to keep going the best way we can, and blend it with the
obvious compassion and sympathy for our fallen citizens.
Pilot sports coverage and the sort isn’t going to change now for this,
or anything else, for that matter, in terms of doing what we can do with
what we have.
Buck Johns, a longtime Newport Harbor High supporter, once told me in
a note, “You have the best job in the world.”
I couldn’t agree more, and we’re going to keep doing it the best way
we can.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.