I know, I know, it’s only June. But football is a 12-month sport for those who love it.
“Hard Knocks” starts Aug. 11 on HBO — this year, it’s the energetic J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans— rookie minicamps and team workouts are already underway, and before you know it, there’ll be preseason games.
If you’re in the Southern California area, or visiting soon, I’d advise carving out time to head to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, just north of Los Angeles. Not only does the sprawling complex have a fantastic hilltop setting with spectacular views, it’s home to a research facility, a fully interactive museum, Reagan’s own chili recipe in the restaurant, and the former president’s own Air Force One, up on pylons in a glass-walled hangar (also a venue for a GOP presidential debate in September).
As the icing on the cake, the Library has just opened up a new exhibit devoted to college and pro football history — and present-day, as there’s a “Deflategate”-inspired hands-on display where you can try to guess which ball is properly inflated.
Click here to go to my other home at CatholicVote, where there’s lots of info, some interesting tidbits on the connection between Catholicism and the game (it goes way beyond just Notre Dame), and some pictures I took at a press preview.
Here’s a taste:
Images: Kate O’Hare
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