# 9 Football 2021

 

The week has flown by for me and I wanted to get to the goings on of the football matches last Saturday, but it is late on Friday and I need to get to it. What happened?

Number one Georgia rested on a bye and is preparing for a possible contender in Florida. It should prove interesting. Most people think that the Bulldog defense will handle the Gators, but crazier things have happened. I say Georgia should win handily.

Number 13 Notre Dame squashed  the Trojans, 31-16. While USC is down right now (I love it!), Notre Dame is showing good things.

Next game:

Then we have the number 16 Auburn Tigers versus the tenth ranked Ole Miss Rebels. This is a fantastic match up. I do not know a lot about Ole Miss, but I think the Tigers have a good shot at winning.

My BYU Cougars made it back to the winning column by holding on to beat the Washington State Cougars in Pullman, 21 - 19. I heard that our fans were in big numbers and loud. BYU qualifies for a bowl, but they have wanted a better one than normal based on whipping the PAC -12 opponents. Big next game hosting Virginia, with their former 13-year BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. Should be a good game, UVA would join the rankings if they were to win in Provo. Brigham Young would fall out again.

Speaking of falling from the rankings, the Clemson Tigers are not officially having abad year, losing to Pittsburgh, which now finds itself in the rankings with only one loss. Clemson has lost hopes of a big bowl, unless they totally turn things around and manage to win out. Does not seem likely.

Next: The Tigers take on the rebounding 3-4 Florida State Seminoles, who are now righting the disaster ship at 3-4. I truly want Clemson to pound them, yet another interesting game. What a great weekend for college football! Trick or treat!

Who else is left? Miami and IU.

The Hurricanes pulled off a great win against the formerly ranked #18 and one loss NC State Wolfpack. Way to save the season and get back to a respectable, or at least manageable 3-4. Next up is another chance to shine facing those same aforementioned one loss ranked Pittsburgh Panthers.

Good luck, ‘Canes! You may have found the right formula. Miami looks like they are in control of their own destiny enough to finish strong.

My Indiana Hoosiers cannot say so. Their back up QB is hurt since the drubbing by the Ohio State Buckeyes, who incidentally are back in the College Football Championship discussions, and pasted IU to the tune of 7 to 54.

The Indiana team has lost a lot of key players and have moved ball against a talented Cincy, but that is about it. Turnovers ruined that one, and the offense is not consistent at all, plus banged up. The Maryland Terrapins are the last chance, really, for a turn around. As in years past the Turtle will be a key significant game to win in order to see if the Hoosiers belong in the bowl picture or not. If they can beat Maryland, which is not an all a gimme, than the bowl season is a wash. If they win, they are still pushing their chances. We shall see.

Short week to right this, happy to be with you and God bless.

Enjoy the end of October no matter how the teams fare.

Poem

 

TRUE STORIES – A Poem About Me, About Here

 

Tonight, I was going to

Lie in my bunk and read, or write

but some people who wanted to play

informed me that the chapel was open

 

So, I remembered that there were Arabic flash cards

 there

So, I went

 

The night is nice, the coolness

envelops me, us

People walk about, they talk or eat

The heat is not fierce

Not now deep in October

Like only a month before

 

The sun made me sweat today

After retrieving my birthday package

—Must wait two more days —

Under my bunk it lies

Close to me

But me, I left to find the cards

In this chapel tent I worship in

Where I find myself in desert coolness

With friends and brothers, saints and sinners

We are one

 

I pass by buildings, an open stage

I see and hear the play of

basketball, volleyball, enthusiasm

Rhythmic music, Latino hip hop

or bachata reggaetón

—No sé—

It is vibrant and joyful

I walk by in the sand, in my sandals

(They are plastic crocks, from Canada)

another time, another clime

 

I make my way to the chapel

A Tuesday night

I see people in the house of the Lord

They are Black people, mostly

Also called African-Americans

They smile at me, offer me hellos

I know a couple of them

They are friends and friendly

 

People call people by labels

People are people, no matter the label

I am of value, no matter the rank

People see me, my rank

Some know me, others don’t

Ralph Ellison wrote “The Invisible Man”

Yes?

 

We can all be invisible

In uniform we disappear

dissimulate

I am lowly, but older

but sometimes seem younger

but I know things from the past

Things younger, higher ranked people do not

 

I am invisible, when wearing no rank

I am “sir”, and maybe 40

I once was forty, and feeling old

I am more now, but still me

Still at that former rank

—But it’s okay—

 

Ralph Ellison was invisible

Because of race, because of skin

Because the way that was, and can be

I am in a world of status, and I

feel it

Sometimes more than others

But it’s okay, this is how I pay

for our freedoms

 

I feel freedoms

hard earned, painstaking, humbling

We all fight battles, night and day

 

I retrieve the cards

They are there where my friend left them

I am grateful, relieved

Not lost, this mysterious language

In my head, on my tongue, most

of my life

 

It is there and not there

This desert language of the ancients

I am here and I see them

And sometimes they see me

Arabs

Their language

 

I have the cards

I use the same hamam – an army trailer

to use as my barracks has no facilities

running water

I use the water there, on the far

side of the sandy lot, by the chapel

A religious tent

 

I go there every Sabbath

Talks of God and Jesus

make me weep

I dab my eyes

Sometimes my throat constricts

Beauty and pain at once

 

The Gospel of Peace,

Overcoming the suffering

overcoming the hate

defeating the enemies

Enemies within and without

In the sanctuary the coolness

In middle desert hot day

 

The bread of life gives it

The water soothes my soul

The music calms and awakens

my heart and my love

 

I wish to see the basketball games

On the court with the soldiers

—Or one Marine I met last week

On my way in the fine

darkness

Lights peripheral

Noises echoing

I hear an organ, and a drum

I hear the music of the soul

The melody I felt

I moved in closer to the side

Outside the tent wall

Me alone, with my cards

 

I bend my head to the music

A tune that I feel

I like it, it’s soulful

Melancholy, and rich

It’s Black people singing

It’s a young lady uttering

the words of the Lord

 

lyrics of faith

messages of love and devotion

completeness and joy

Past sadness (passed sadness)

She’s happy

I close my eyes … and

I feel it

I bow my head, I close my eyes

I remember Missouri

Swaying to Gospel songs — Sabbath morn

and rejoicing! Yes!

 

I love that sweet music

Dancing with me

I hear the words

I feel the music

Slow, smooth, melodic

It enraptures my senses

I love this moment

dews from the heavens

well up in my mind

memories of everything

rush into my “ser”, my being

I am united with Heaven,

with mother, with God

I feel all my people

Coming back to me now

My people are people,

Smiling forever, singing

and dancing, swaying

just so

 

Tears drip out my eyelids

It feels good to feel loved

Crying is feeling

Real and alive

 

I love the moment, in heaven

On earth though I be

I love God and Jesus

On Earth though I be

Far from distant shores of gladness

Close to the waters of freedom

I am making my way

 

They stop the song

Still voices.

I hear a discussion

They have no idea I know

I observe and enjoy

A peak into the search

For everlasting Peace

 

I move on with my cards

Grateful, ever grateful

 

I watch at the courts

My brothers play ball.

I say hello and make

greetings

 

And, oh yes! In front of the

chapel. The tent of the Lord

A woman spoke kindness

to three men intent on her wisdom

The glory of Jesus

Alights on their faces.

 

I see and I wonder.

How God made us stewards

I wonder and marvel,

How God made me free

I joy and I wonder,

How God is my Master

I think and I ponder

What makes me me

 

I don’t know the riddles

to all of life’s questions

I simply know Jesus

is Heading the way.

He leads me, He guides me.

He is there right beside me

 

When I turn and ignore Him

He will not divide me

He will not divide me

He will not divide me

 

I bid farewell to my brothers

I’m grateful they see me

Invisible no longer, I am part of the vision of man

 

 

The poem ended above, that night. I returned to my bottom bunk with my Arabic flash cards, perhaps changed, perhaps enriched. Yes, to all of the above. Yes, yes, and yes.

True stories.

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS Washington D.C. Temple Open House 2022 TICKET INFORMATION AVAILABLE 11/1/21 www.dctemple.org Media Day: April 18th Invited Guests: April 19th to April 27th Public Open House: April 28th to June 4th Youth Devotional: June 18th Rededication: June 19th Three sessions: 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. #DCTEMPLE @washingtondctemple @WashingtonDCVC Friends Contact Information

 

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Washington D.C. Temple
Open House 2022

TICKET INFORMATION AVAILABLE 11/1/21

www.dctemple.org

 

Media Day: April 18^th
Invited Guests: April 19^th to April 27^th
Public Open House: April 28^th to June 4^th
Youth Devotional: June 18^th

Rededication: June 19^th
Three sessions: 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.

#DCTEMPLE

@washingtondctemple

@WashingtonDCVC

Friends                                                       Contact Information

 

Harper's Baseball Career After 10 years

 

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards

2012	19	WSN	NL	139	597	533	98	144	26	9	22	59	18	6	56	120	.270	.340	.477	.817	118	254	8	2	3	3	0	*89/7H	AS,MVP-30,RoY-1
2013	20	WSN	NL	118	497	424	71	116	24	3	20	58	11	4	61	94	.274	.368	.486	.854	133	206	4	5	3	4	4	*79/8H	AS
2014	21	WSN	NL	100	395	352	41	96	10	2	13	32	2	2	38	104	.273	.344	.423	.768	111	149	6	1	3	1	4	79/8H
2015	22	WSN	NL	153	654	521	118	172	38	1	42	99	6	4	124	131	.330	.460	.649	1.109	198	338	15	5	0	4	15	*98/D	AS,MVP-1,SS
2016	23	WSN	NL	147	627	506	84	123	24	2	24	86	21	10	108	117	.243	.373	.441	.814	114	223	11	3	0	10	20	*9/H	AS
2017	24	WSN	NL	111	492	420	95	134	27	1	29	87	4	2	68	99	.319	.413	.595	1.008	156	250	15	1	0	3	11	*9/H	AS,MVP-12
2018	25	WSN	NL	159	695	550	103	137	34	0	34	100	13	3	130	169	.249	.393	.496	.889	133	273	7	6	0	9	16	*98/H3D	AS
2019	26	PHI	NL	157	682	573	98	149	36	1	35	114	15	3	99	178	.260	.372	.510	.882	126	292	10	6	0	4	11	*9/HD
2020	27	PHI	NL	58	244	190	41	51	9	2	13	33	8	2	49	43	.268	.420	.542	.962	158	103	5	2	1	2	8	*9D/8
2021	28	PHI	NL	141	599	488	101	151	42	1	35	84	13	3	100	134	.309	.429	.615	1.044	179	300	12	5	2	4	14	*9/D3 10 Yrs128354824557850127327022267752111398331189.279.392.524.916142238893361244103162 Game Avg.1626925751071613433495145105150.279.392.524.9161423021252613WSN (7 yrs)92739573306610922183181845217531585834.279.388.512.9001391693662393470PHI (3 yrs)3561525125124035187483231368248355.281.402.556.9581516952713310