Football

Article in today's NYT Play Magazine about high school football phenom Noel Devine. He's certainly had a difficult life:

"Noel Devine was 3 months old when his father died of complications from AIDS. His mother also died of AIDS, when he was 11."

But now he is spoiled by everyone because he can run a football. And he's not even eligible for college...

“Custody passed to his maternal grandmother, but he clashed with her. "She’s, like, strict,” he told me. “I wanted a little freedom. I just didn’t want to listen to nobody. When my mama died, I felt like a part of me was gone, like half of me had gone away. It was hard for me to try and love somebody else. It was, like, I hate everything and everybody.”"

Another story, this one from CNN, about two star football players who severely injured two other teenagers in a prank. The football players have been given 60 days in a juvenile facility, once football season is over...

Finally, a scrimmage today here at Ole Miss. The town is already crowded this morning in anticipation. At this time, every year, hope springs eternal in the SEC.