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Returning to reality
So when you started watching on Dec. 20 with the Mobile Alabama Bowl, Southern Mississippi's enthralling 28-21 win over TCU, your son looked younger than Macaulay Culkin. So when you finished on Jan. 3 with the BCS national championship game, Oklahoma against Florida State, the poor kid now looked older than Chris Weinke. So have you spent too much time in front of the television set in the last 14 days and nights, chewing on cliches and end-arounds, devouring 25 football games, one after another? Have you missed too much of your real life? I think not. Family is family. Bowl games are bowl games. This was the one time of the year when bowl games took precedence. Your son might have had a big math test and your daughter might have had problems with her boyfriend, Eminem, but, hey, there will be other math tests and other Eminem boyfriends in the months to come. Will there be another Galleryfurniture.com Bowl, East Carolina laying the lumber on Texas Tech, another Humanitarian Bowl, Boise State making the home folks proud? Will there be another Oahu, Aloha, Music City, Insight.com, Sun, Peach, Holiday, Alamo, Cotton-Gator-Sugar-Citrus-Outback-Rose-Fiesta Bowl? There is no need to feel guilty, certainly no need to apologize. You might have missed a few holidays, a few Hallmark moments -- hey, somebody took down the tree and the presents are gone -- but you did what you had to do, saw what you had to see. If your family needs you, hey, here you are. Old Dad is ready to go. Bring on the problems. Just make sure we can solve them by Saturday, 12:30pm, Eastern time, New Orleans at Minnesota. NFL playoffs. That is a big game. Sports Illustrated senior writer Leigh Montville appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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