Because I am clumsy

It was a month ago yesterday that I finally went to the doctor's office.

It was a good three weeks earlier that I banged my clavicle, apparently fracturing it, leaving a lot of bruising and swelling in my shoulder.

The problem was not the clavicle by the time the doctor saw me.  I had not been able to get the swelling and bruising to go away, it was burning, and I was getting sick.  One evening, it appeared that the bruising was seeping and I did my best to try and clean it up, but it became clear that a doctor visit was necessary.

It did not take more than a quick glance before the doc had me move to the procedure room, was trying to get the area numb, and informed me that although they normally lance these sorts of things, "I am going to cut you now."  Two slices, five attempts at numbing the area with shots, and about 35 minutes later, I was a wreck with a huge packed wound bigger than a golf ball.

It is not clear whether an earlier visit of even a few days would have done much to avoid the abscess procedure by very much since it was so hidden by the swelling, but I feel like it would have been a lot easier on me physically and cheaper on my pocket book.

It was not even a pipe dream 26 years ago

It has taken me a good week now to get to writing this.  Gonzaga played for the national title in men's basketball this past Monday against North Carolina, losing late after leading in stretches.  It was a brutal outcome. However, it is also an amazing accomplishment for the little Jesuit school from Spokane that is no longer a surprising success.

26 years ago I sat in the old Kennel as a student watching the Zags play Eastern Washington.  The GU coach was talking about NCAA tourney appearances, and with the field being 64 with automatic bids it all seemed plausible.  By plausible, I mean that it would be plausible for GU to contend for that automatic bid and get crushed annually as a 14 seed.

Within a few years GU did get to the tourney, and now it is a mainstay with multiple Sweet 16 appearances and the 2017 Final Four and championship game appearance.

I don't talk much about that year at GU for reasons. I loved the school, but how that year played out still sometimes causes me to pause and reflect.

Deep down I will always be a Coug first.  I played and coached soccer against the Zags.  When WSU hosted GU in Pullman for a first round NIT match I was very much a Cougar.  Ambition and consistency are not something that mid major programs can easily juggle.  But, how the Zags have approached their program is something larger conference teams just don't seem to realize would work anywhere in the power conferences.

So, GU now has the chance to build on this success, even as players move on.  Few has seemed to have no problem in recruiting, and now even a childhood friend of my daughter's has signed on to be a freshman next season.

It was surprising to me just how emotional this game made me.  Even though I am a Coug first, clearly my brief time at GU did in fact have a profound affect on me.

Go Zags!