RON MALY HAS BEEN WATCHING THE PARADE GO BY FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS ONE OF HIS WEBSITES.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Emotion

By RON MALY

I've seen tons of collegiate, professional and high school football games in tons of stadiums throughout America.

But I've never attended an Army-Navy game, and I'd like to correct that one of these years.

I watched the entire Army-Navy game on TV today, and I was held captive during every minute of it.

Even when president-elect Donald Trump and his security people entered the stadium in Baltimore after Army had taken a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, and when Trump was interviewed at halftime by CBS-TV announcers Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson.

Danielson suggested to Trump that he name Lundquist the ambassador to Sweden.

Trump didn't say he wouldn't do it, and Lundquist acted like he wanted the job.

This was the final Army-Navy game for Lundquist as a play-by-play announcer.  He's retiring from CBS.

Army won the game, 21-17, to end a 14-game losing streak to Navy, but I cared less about the outcome than I did the atmosphere.

I liked it a lot when the men and women from both academies who weren't in football uniforms marched on the field before the game and at halftime in their snazzy military dress gear, complete with the long coats.

These were the people who will be defending our nation in the years ahead, and it was very emotional to me to see them do all of that marching.

In fact, I wish CBS hadn't wasted time showing the audience a conversation with the Heisman Trophy candidates at halftime.

I wanted to see more marching by Navy and Army.

I liked it when the football players from Army and Navy sang their alma maters following the game.

Pretty emotional stuff.

I liked it when someone said a prayer before the game, and I liked it when fans--especially those from Army--jumped out of their stadium seats to celebrate when their team won.

Kind of reminded me of your basic Iowa upset victory over Michigan at Kinnick Stadium.

I became interested in the football games played by the service academies when I was a kid.

I recall listening on the radio [there was no TV in those days] when Felix [Doc] Blanchard and Glen Davis were running rampant for Army's tremendous teams in that era.

In those days, the thinking was that the football played by the academies was superior than that played by universities and colleges.

No one thinks that way now.

But who cares? Not me.

Throughout my adult life, I've always kept track somewhat of what was going on with those football teams [Air Force has since been added]. 

I just never got the opportunity to be in a stadium when they played.

That's why I hope to make it to a Navy-Army game one of these years.