Memories that last a lifetime... Mid August every year is the time of year where high school kids decide that Summer fun will be put on the back burner and running, sweat and conditioning will set in. This is the time of year that they commit to their high schools and try out for Fall sports. They will show up on hot days on the football and soccer fields. They will at times be inside un-air-conditioned gyms for volleyball tryouts. Either way they will make the commitment necessary to be a part of a team, and they will make it before the first bell rings. Weeknights will soon be filled with packed stands, great rivalries will be renewed, and one of the most cherished will be Friday Night Lights. A time of the week where big or small towns seem to pause as people flock to the local football stadium to support their local boys on the gridiron. At times those in attendance will look on and reflect back to a time past where they were the ones running through the tunnel as the bands played the school's fight song, cheers filled the air and times were unmatched. The two teams will battle it out as the sun sets and the cool fall nights set in across the stadium. What a joy for the kids in competition to be able to enjoy their time just as we did as youngsters in our time. Great memories are formed that will last a lifetime for them just as we enjoy ours. There is nothing that equals this time, and no matter the sport or activity it is something that should always take place every school year. The pastime should be fought for no matter what, and it shouldn't be tarnished by adults or administration who feel otherwise. It is what built us and it should be what builds our kids. So as the academic year is about to begin and all the schools will be filled with students walking the halls again, let's look forward to the memories that will be made and the events that will accompany them. I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who, if given that chance to return to those days, would take it in a heartbeat for what were the times of our lives. Let's make sure we make it the time of their lives for these kids also! Don't let the Tigers get hot... If you wrote them off back in May you may want to take a peek at the AL Central Division standings this morning. The Detroit Tigers are the last team in for the American League Wildcard race. Playing some of the best baseball in the MLB — and doing it after trading away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize off our pitching staff — this team and coaching staff have put their hat in a pennant race. From what you can see it is the type of team AJ Hinch has fielded the past few years. A never say die attitude in the clubhouse, a mixture of young and old on the diamond with players stepping up and playing solid baseball have given the city of Detroit a buzz that is bringing the crowds back to Comerica Park. Things have come together at the right time for them, and with about 40 games left it should make for great baseball down the wire and throughout September. NFL preseason begins... If you haven't noticed, this week the NFL has begun its preseason games, and what it has become is a 3 game warmup for the 32 NFL teams. A time where players fight for their last chance to keep their childhood dreams alive. To show someone in the league that you got game. To try to earn a spot on the 53 man roster or maybe a practice squad somewhere. It can be entertaining for 3 games, and to scratch the long off season itch for football it is a wonderful time. The excitement you see in some of these players trying to make a team equals a fan in the stands or at home in front of their TV. Football is back, and soon it will be on our TVs Thursday thru Monday until 2027 begins. ESPN has the countdown running on the scroll: Super Bowl LXI goes February 14, 2027, the first one the network has ever carried. The Lions are back and although the Bengals beat them 16-14 this week, we look forward to that opener coming up shortly. Predictions are bouncing around for where they will land in the end. Can they win the Division? Can they make the playoffs? Heaven help us, can they get to the Super Bowl? Any way you slice it, it will be the time of our lives through it all and memories will be formed by the end. Be it a State Title, a World Series, or a Super Bowl Championship. Let the Monday Morning Quarterback commence.
