Friday night lights

As I sit here at J.J.'s Clubhouse in St. Louis Park, following a 56-6 football loss to Totino-Grace, arguably the best high school team in Minnesota this year, I think about how much Friday's mean to me.

Since I've been working with Benilde-St. Margaret's football, which I have since the fall of 2006, Friday's are a hard day for me to get anything accomplished because I look forward to the game that night.

I'm fortunate. We've got a great staff and, as were are now, we always adjourn to the local tavern after the game and, win or lose, we always have some laughs.

(Moving on, it's now Saturday and I'm now waiting for our first volleyball match of the day)

When it comes to "team" there is no sport like football. It makes for a closeness among teammates, and on the staff, like no other sport does. You have to rely on others around you constantly and the trust which is built carries over to off-field relationships.

Last night, we had a lot of things to "discuss" after suffering a 50-point blowout. Yet, we could laugh about a lot of things, poke fun at each other and still leave at the end of the night feeling OK.

Knowing that you just got your ass handed to you, but coming out of it all feeling OK (maybe not great but OK) and knowing that things will get better should be a metaphor for life. It's one of those lessons that sports should really teach us, especially the kids, all about.

I've always said, if you can't laugh at yourself, you can't laugh at anyone else. Being able to do that has me feeling better now, about football and about life.

Friday night lights, I love it!