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Forget the Wind, We Want the Sun at Our Back in the Fourth Quarter

On the second night of Woodstock, the Jefferson Airplane were given the honor and burden of being the last act on the bill. Unfortunately, rock and roll shows being what they are, it was the third morning of Woodstock when the band actually got to take the stage.

Six-thirty a.m. is not a good time for rock and roll in general. It was REALLY not a good time of day for Grace Slick. The Airplane pretty much bombed. That's show biz.

I hadn't thought about that moment for many years until I read that in today's Division 3A Eastern Mass. Super Bowl (note to the MIAA: If your event has more words in its title than the average government agency, it's not that Super), the Cardinal Spellman and Holliston high school teams will be kicking off a little earlier than accustomed. Nine a.m. to be precise. The kids are already in uniform. Some of them must be wandering the turf at Gillette Stadium acclimating themselves. Their loyal fans are making today a gala financial event for all Dunkin' Donuts located on Route One south of 128.

The players for these two teams, who are, let's not forget, preparing for the most important games of their lives as players, woke up in the dark this morning. They got taped in the dark, and I wonder what the pregame meal was. They probably got on the buses to the stadium as dawn broke.

I hope these kids all play well, but I don't see how. Ever try to wake a teenager up? The adolescent body clock doesn't care for early morning. It's a physiological reality that ought to count for a little more in staging a sort of championship event than the thrill of playing at the local NFL stadium in a game which will have more stadium employees than fans in attendance.

Speaking for myself and the Jefferson Airplane, we hope Spellman and Holliston go about 12 overtimes this morning. Why should they be the only teams whose Super Bowl schedules suck?

posted by Michael Gee @ 7:59 AM