This is Officer Lee Groinman,

That’s right, I’m that reflective and optimistic one, the one that predicted the 23-point victory against the Spartans. But hey, a couple less turnovers in that first half, a few less gift scores, and maybe another score by our boys and hey, I’ll take it!

My bookie buddies down in Reno weren’t all that amused...

It was a strange day there last Saturday. It all started with an early morning phone call. I’ve always hated a day that starts with an early mornin’ phone disturbance, it’s never good stuff. This time it’s my sidekick Deputy Mikey.

“Lee, can’t make the game, can you sell my ticket?”

“No I can’t sell your ticket! Who do you think I am, Cal Worthington?”

“Cal’s dead ain’t he Lee? Anyway I got a family funeral, it’s today, and I can’t change that.”

“That bites Mikey, but do what you gotta do.”

Folks should never die or get married during football season, of course I did, got married that is in football season, but I had the good sense to get hitched on a bye week. I suppose you could get buried on a bye, but we don’t even have that option this year. It makes ya ponder on what’s next, a game clock that doesn’t stop perhaps?

This whole week has just been a never endin’ soap opera. On Monday my dad, Pappy Groinman had open-heart surgery. A 90 percent blockage deal, a walking time bomb he was. He’s doing fine, but probably will miss a bunch of football games.

But hey, at least I got his parkin’ pass, saves me twenty clams a game!

So I got an extra ticket to move with just 4 hours before kickoff. Thought I might call an old buddy, an old football pal from the eighties, he once had season tickets then lost interest and now I hadn’t seen him since my wedding day, oh so many years ago, ah that Championship Season... Yeah maybe I’ll give Bryan a call, wonder of wonders, he still had the same phone number.

“Bryan, got an extra ticket for the game, you in?”

“I don’t know Lee, dang, I got a backed up sink!”

“A backed up SINK! You gonna let a backed up SINK keep you from the GAME!”

“It’s the woman Lee, you know the drill...”

“I’ll be at the old Park & Ride in 90 minutes, be there! And oh Bryan, how did you know it was me on the phone?”

“You didn’t change your voice or nothing, did you Lee?”

So I’m waitin’ at the Park & Ride off 405. Bryan’s late, my cell rings. It’s the wife Gloria, this can’t be good, she’s got the house to herself and she’s callin’ me?

Yup, this can’t be good...

“Lee, it’s Ben, he’s being deployed to Iraq, what are we going to do Lee!”

“Send cookies?”

Now Ben is my youngest step-boy. We figured this day would come, but I suppose it’s always a bit of a stunner when you get the news. But hey, it’s all part of the deal.

I’m really not liking the way this day has got started, and Bryan is still not here. It’s nearing game time!

While I’m waitin’ for Bryan I thought I’d open up the envelope with the parkin’ pass in it. What’s this?

A pastel  PINK PARKIN’ PASS!!

I guess the Lord do have a sense of humor....

Good thing I don’t fall for omens and the like anymore...

We get to the parking lot with little more than an hour before kickoff. Our tailgate is a complete flop. We really need to tighten up our tailgaitin’ before Fresno State, but that’s where you get the most improvement in your tailgate, between that first and second game....

So we walk away with a win. It was lookin’ like a Rick Neuheisel 4^th quarter Mallox moment again as we hold on late for the win. I’d hoped for more out of Reece and the TE’s but maybe we were holding something back from Oklahoma.