I loved my A’s growing up with Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Ricky Henderson, Dave Henderson, Dave Kingman, Tony Armas, Mike Heath, Dave Stewart and skinny, fresh out of USC Mark McGuire.

I never really became a Oakland Raider fan even though my father had a good relationship with Jack Tatum because they were moving and my cousin was working for the 49ers as a trainer. I got to hang out and meet Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Randy Cross, Dwayne Board and Ronnie Lott. I even met Keena (I don’t know why his momma named him Kenna) Turner. We went to more games than I can remember and felt big time when we pulled out of the player’s parking lot past the fans in our bucket station wagon with the wood paneling.

It was a bittersweet moment for my father, a lifelong cowboy fan when Dwight Clark made one of the biggest catches I’ve ever seen, read or heard about on January 10th, 1982. Speaking of 1982; two of the biggest things in my lifetime of sports both happen in the same year. I was in the stands later that fall when ‘the Play’ took place and Cal beat Stanford and John Elway.

Even though I am a self-professed college football junkie, I just love sports. I’m 36 and have been to college football games, bowl games even national championship games. Sure I think the Longhorns will be good in 2007, I have my eye on 2008 when they could really be special and I can’t wait for that. I’m about a third of the way through my list of games and stadium that I have pledged to see a game in before I die. I have been alive to see who I think is the best college football player that has ever strapped on cleats. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to explain or get over my true affection for the game of college football but I tell you what, I’m gonna have a good time trying.

So as I sit in my office on this gloomy Thursday morning in Austin, TX I lift my plastic bottle of apple juice in salute to my 36 years of loving sports. I have no problem saying it because I know there are many of you out there who feel the same way. If the lord blesses me to see another 36 years or more of life, I get excited thinking about the special moments that I could see in sports, some that I don’t want to see and some things that I just hope for. You ask what some of them might be…

In the next 36 years I might see…

The first woman to play (for real, not kicking) in a Division I college football game.

The National Championship actually determined between the chalk.

Cars that don’t travel by ground so athletes can find something else to do with their money besides buy rims.

Funds set up in revenue sports for athletes that participate that they can only receive when the walk across the stage and get a degree.

The NCAA to actually care about the student athletes and really drive graduation numbers up or just admit that they are a business and Miles Brand is just a commissioner.

Another Michael Jordan, Vince Young, Nebraska era Tommie Frazier, Tommie Nobis, ND era Rocket Ismail, Michigan era Desmond Howard, Chris Zorich, Penn State era Todd Blackledge etc.

A male American distance runner who is worth a crap on the international stage.

The steroid era of baseball to just go away.

Money wasted nationwide testing high school kids for steroids.

Logic is used and man discovers that Title 9 doesn’t make sense. Man discovers that while like sports (i.e. basketball, track, golf, baseball and softball, soccer, etc.) should have equal scholarships, you can’t bite the hand that feeds you and put football in the equation.

A real football national champion is determined on the field because Division will be cut to about 60 teams and a real playoff format is determined. Of course a real playoff format for college football would make the television contract so large that some athletes that could spell and articulate would sue the NCAA and get athletes a piece of the pie and destroy college sports as we know it.

Greg Lemond will either die or just decide that he doesn’t have to be in the limelight.

And finally…

My kids to grow up, be full tickets jocks like their mom and dad and not make me pay for college.