{"id":6561,"date":"2015-03-06T07:30:16","date_gmt":"2015-03-06T12:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/freelancechristianity\/?p=6561"},"modified":"2015-03-06T07:30:16","modified_gmt":"2015-03-06T12:30:16","slug":"retiring-undefeated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/freelancechristianity\/retiring-undefeated\/","title":{"rendered":"Retiring Undefeated"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"048\"<\/a>Prominently displayed in the office I occupy as director of the Development of Western Civilization program is a signed basketball perched on top of a small megaphone that says Let\u2019s Go Friars<\/strong>. I won this basketball last year when my seat at the Friars-Marquette Golden Eagles basketball game was randomly selected as the \u201cLucky Seat of the Game.\u201d Microphone man Harry interviewed me briefly during the first official timeout, got a \u201cGo Friars!\u201d out of me, and for the first time in my life I was on a Jumbotron for twelve thousand fans to admire. This picture was taken by one of my admiring fans in the History Department. My blog post two weeks later about sitting in the lucky seat of the game and generally being insanely fanatic \"Me<\/a>(I guess that\u2019s oxymoronic) about Friars basketball was one of my most popular posts ever.<\/p>\n

Being a Fanatic<\/a><\/p>\n

Even now when visitors to my office comment about my basketball and get the story, I add \u201cit was the biggest day of my life.\u201d Not any more\u2014it was surpassed last weekend.<\/p>\n

Last November I received an email from M, the Academic Coordinator for Men\u2019s Basketball on campus, asking if I would be interested in participating in the inaugural season of the Honorary Faculty Coach Program which would offer me and a guest the opportunity to attend a Friars practice, sit behind the bench at a game, get a peek behind the scenes in various places and gain access to the Holy of Holies\u2014the Champions Club Room where big bucks contributors to the college and athletic program get to eat crappy food and pay for drinks before the game and during half time. Given the opportunity to choose which home game to be the honorary coach for, I chose the March 1 game against the Marquette Golden Eagles for a number of reasons. \"marquette\"<\/a>First, last year\u2019s Marquette game was my \u201clucky seat\u201d game (which we won in double overtime). Second, it was the game closest to my birthday. Third, I am a proud alum of Marquette University, earning my PhD there in 1991.<\/p>\n

I was thrilled when Marquette joined our Big East Conference several years ago, but am not so thrilled that they have kicked our ass on a regular basis since then, including a double-digit win in Milwaukee earlier this season. I am a proud alum and am always happy when they do well\u2014except when it is at the Friars\u2019 expense. When I first arrived here at Providence a couple of decades ago, friends and colleagues asked who I would cheer for when the Friars played the Golden Eagles (called the Warriors at the time\u2014this was pre-political correctness in sports names). I took that to be an extraordinarily stupid question, until I found out over the years that many colleagues favor their alma mater over where they are earning a paycheck if forced to make a choice in a sporting event. Not me\u2014all Friars, all the time.<\/p>\n

Today is my birthday (number 59 and counting), so please humor me as I randomly reflect on my honorary coach experience last weekend.\"ents\"<\/a><\/p>\n