AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 27
Thursday, November 27, 2008
I’m thankful for Furman Bisher
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m up early before the rest of the house that is happily full of family. I’m enjoying my first cup of coffee and what long ago became my ritual on Thanksgiving morning: Reading Furman Bisher’s Thanksgiving column.
Furman, as he always does, sums of the time and spirit of the day perfectly. He leaves nothing important unsaid.
But if I may beg your indulgence and Furman’s for using his format, I want to add a few more things before the crowd wakes up and Thanksgiving Day begins:
I’m thankful for Furman Bisher. Over the past 24 years the man who I grew up reading and the man who made me want to be a sports writer has become colleague and is now a friend. How lucky am I? The calendar may say he is 90 but Bisher’s heart and intellect are younger than us all.
I’m thankful for you. We don’t always see eye to eye and when I’m wrong, you call me on it. Even when I’m not wrong, you try to convince me that I am. Some of you infuriate me. Some of you bring me to tears with your kindness. All of you are passionate about the game of college football. That is why this blog works so well. We can argue about who’s right or wrong, but there is no doubt that we all care about the game that we love.
And finally, I’m thankful for that game. With all of its flaws, and there are many, it is still an institution that brings friends and family together to celebrate a way of life. Consider this: My two best friends in the world are fraternity brothers Carl Brantley and Tom McMillen. College brought us together, but college football has kept us together some 30 years after we first met. We’re scattered all over the place but every year we make it a point to get together at the Georgia-Florida game. Those are precious weekends, regardless of the outcome of the game.
That is what college football does for us. And for that, all of us should be thankful today.
Happy Thanksgiving.
