Groundhog Day

James Morris was a storekeeper in Berks County, Pennsylvania. As with all good storekeepers, who in detail kept a journal of all inventory, customers, accounts receivable and accounts payable, Mr. Morris also kept a personal diary. Mostly it was an account of the day’s activities, so that he had a record of what transpired. Because the year was 1841, there were no blogs or e-diaries he could use.

On February 4, 1841, Mr. Morris wrote the following in his diary: “Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

And with that simple journal entry, Groundhog Day in the United States was born.

Well, today is Groundhog Day. It occurs every year on February 2nd, and depending on whether you believe Punxsutawney Phil, General Beauregard Lee, Woodstock Willie or Staten Island Chuck determines whether you think there are six more weeks of bad weather…..or spring is just around the corner.

As for me, I prefer the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray playing the main character, over the actual Groundhog Day. I love the way he had to live each day over and over again until he learned to give up his selfishness and become a better person.
The great thing about having so many famous and well-known groundhogs is that you can choose which one you want to follow and believe. You can choose which hog to believe. Or you can choose not to believe in the rodent’s ability to foretell the next six weeks weather. It’s all about choice.

This brings me to another important day this week. Wednesday is National Signing Day, which is the first day a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football. Nearly every high school senior who has been offered a scholarship to play college football will sign a letter of intent on Wednesday. It's a day of choice. A day to choose their new school.

To the average fan, the fan that looks forward to tailgate fellowship but has little interest in the game itself, Wednesday will be just another day. But to those of us who are die-hard fans of big-time college football, Wednesday is cultural phenomena. A mini-holiday of sorts. A day spent surfing the web for the latest breaking news of our favorite team and who has faxed in their letter and how many stars he has beside his name. A day for fan-parties and ESPNU watching. A day that represents the culmination of all of the off-season recruiting that takes place in order to keep a team competitive on the national stage.

It is college football’s Groundhog Day. A day when some programs see only a shadow of what might have been, and will face more difficult times. Or a day when some programs don’t see a shadow, but see a real future with their class…reminding them that the next season is just around the corner.

War Eagle!
WJLaneSR