Jesse Dougherty-

I took a one week hiatus from The Fan because I had two articles due for the Daily Orange here at Syracuse, so to the average 2,787,584 people that view this column every week, I am deeply sorry.

Over the weekend I was on hand with my dad (what could be more American?) as the Syracuse football team knocked off #9 Louisville in the Carrier Dome, in a shocking sequence of events that had me smiling and shaking my head for all 60 minutes of the game. The team has been generally frustrating throughout the whole season, but after this milestone victory I’m really going to miss quarterback Ryan Nassib, his favorite targets Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales, and Brandon Sharpe and Siriki Diabate who anchor our defense.

Oh well. I have since been brought back down to earth by an Eagles loss to the Cowboys (THE NICK FOLES ERA: god help me and the bulk of Philadelphia fans who think that that is upon us), a Sixer loss to the Bucks after a trademark fourth quarter shooting slump, and a fake Jim Salisbury twitter account that had me thinking the Phillies had signed Josh Hamilton to a five year deal.

But if I were writing about Philadelphia sports I’d be face down on my keyboard typing sequences like gkejghjskghsgsgsgkjh, so let’s just avoid that at all costs. What I want to get across in this abridged weekly column is that one day out of our 365 day calendar, i.e. Veterans Day, is not near enough to thank those that fight and train for our freedom everyday. Over the weekend, NBA players wore red white and blue wrist and head bands, the teams that took part in NCAAB games on military vessels sported camouflage jerseys, and NFL franchises upped the patriotism in their pre game events.

But what does this all mean? It is one thing to thank, and a good thank you can both warm the heart and provide inspiration for the thanked, but it is a whole different thing to truly recognize. On the Stoop Sports staff I may get annoyed when Kenny and David talk about the Knicks, Ollie can’t possibly imagine why Ryan Pav likes the Jets so much, and Nick Orefici, a true Yankee fan at heart, would be the first to remind the Israel brothers of who the Phillies lost to in the 2009 World Series. But there is one thing that ties us all together; sport.

And it’s not just us.

This nation, this wonderful nation, is tied together by the institution of sport. What do you do on Thanksgiving morning? You toss the pigskin around until you smell turkey and stuffing. Meet someone in the elevator and see that you have ten floors to talk? “How bout the game last night?” And it is the veterans of this nation who fought for our freedom and protection in the Korean War, the World Wars, Vietnam, and on, that have liberated us, allowed us, to enjoy things like sport in our everyday lives. Without those willing to risk their lives for our lives, there would be no home run record to chase, there would be no Super Bowl, Christmas Day NBA, or Sportscenter on the TV every morning.

There would be no America that has evolved into a country that moves as sports move.

Those guys in the military, they move, as does our need for their relentless service. Stoop Sports thanks all of those who both serve and have served, and wish them a happy Veterans Day, a holiday that should be celebrated on each day of the year.

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