Officially there are 39 days left in summer for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. And yet the signs of Fall are starting to show.

  • It is sort of dark when we put our boys to bed at night. They had been getting in bed with plenty of daylight left.
  • The American sports landscape is percolating with talk of the upcoming football season. Living in Eugene, OR, the home of the Ducks, means the buzz is loud, especially in a year when expectations are high. And as a Baylor alum, I have my eye on another green and gold team with high expectations.
  • My Facebook feed is filling up with pictures posted by friends and family of kids going off to the first day of school in those parts of the country that start school godawful early. I’ve always appreciated how most of the West Coast starts and ends school in line with the seasonal calendar. Although this year the boys will be starting with a couple of weeks of summer still left. The twins begin first grade, their first foray into all-day school. It’s kind of bittersweet.
  • But the biggest thing of all is the start of the English Premier League. On this front there is a lot of exciting news:
    1. For the last several years I’ve played Fantasy Premier League. This year Alex, one of the twins who is really into sports statistics and such, asked if he could have a fantasy team as well. So a couple of weeks ago he and I sat down and both picked our teams. Feel free to join our league, the Backyard Premier League. If you already play Fantasy Premier League, you can join our private league with this code: 182603-51791.  If you do not play Fantasy Premier League, create a team, pick your squad, and join us. At the end of the season you might be able to say you were beat by a seven-year-old.
    2. Yesterday it was announced that USMNT youngster, DeAndre Yedlin, had been signed by Tottenham Hotspur. He won’t join the team until January at the earliest, and even then he might be loaned out. He’s to stay with the Seattle Sounders for at least the end of the current MLS season. I, along with a good many American soccer fans, became a Yedlin fan during the World Cup. Every time he came on the field he had a noticeable impact. Last week my family was fortunate enough to land tickets to the MLS All-Star game, where the MLS All-Stars defeated Bayern Munich. It was awesome to see some of our favorite players live. My admiration for Yedlin grew. He has a motor that won’t quit. I only hope that when he does finally join up with Tottenham, he gets a better chance than his fellow Seattle Sounder and my fellow former East Texan, Clint Dempsey.
    3. I was excited to hear that the Men in Blazers were going to have a regular show on NBC Sports. Since we don’t have a cable package that includes NBC Sports, or much of anything else really, I am hoping these shows become available online at some point.
    4. And finally, I would appreciate prayers. I have signed on to coach my twins’ first-grade Kidsports soccer team.