First Home Game or When it Rains it Pours

We have fallen into a pattern for home games. Cindy leaves work at noon and while I drive she continues to work via her computer and signal booster. I listen to music or a Cubs game if I can find it. This trip I listened to long hair music. It was from the early seventies. Ten Years After followed by Led Zepplen, then Alvin Lee. Most trips I listen to blues but I consider the above groups to be bluesy rock and roll.

On Friday evening we usually feed some of the players that we have come to know. Most of them are defensive linemen or were roommates of Trevor's at one time or another. This week however, the d-line coach invited the d-line to eat at his house. Coaches have priority over parents so we adjusted and had the guys out for an early lunch at Fox Ridge State Park. I had just finished preparing the food on Thursday evening when Trevor called with the change of plans. So instead of Friday dinner we had a early lunch on Saturday morning of Italian Sausage Soup and Sloppy Joe's.

After we ate the guys retired to more comfortable chairs in the RV to let the meal settle.

The game day forecast was for rain and more rain and wind and storms! Percentages were running as high as 80% for the rain to fall during the game. As you can see when we got to the parking lot and set up to tailgate the sun was shining and there were only a few clouds in the sky.

Luke Henke took Amtrak from Chicago to meet Kyle in Carlinville Friday night and then the two of them drove over to Charleston just in time for the 3pm start to the tailgate.

Cindy always told the boys that the dogs were "chick magnets." Here's the proof! These lovely little ladies could not get enough of Sox and spent most of the pregame time with her.

While we were tailgating we were interviewed about tailgating by Daily Eastern News (DEN for short). You can participate in the tailgate!! First, turn on your speakers, now be sure that when you are taking to the link you click on the play arrow in lower left corner...ok, now click here.

DEN does some good post-game coverage as well. To read a couple of short articles where they quoted Trevor, click here and here.

It was really nice to have Kevin visit with us before the game. Usually players are too busy with last minute meetings, getting taped, and dressed to have time to visit. However, he had gotten a concussion in the CMU game and was carted off in an ambulance. It was his third concussion in 8 months. Before the season started, as preventive measure, the medical staff had given Kevin a special helmet and mouth piece to reduce the risk of concussion. But he was still getting them. After the game he had a meeting with the medical staff, the coaches and his parents and it was decided, in his best interest, that he should quit playing. The staff had prepared Kevin for this decision and he expected it. He will keep his scholarship and work with the equipment guys and the offensive line coaches. Not only is this a big blow to Kevin and his family it is a big to the EIU football team. Kevin was probably our best o-linemen and earlier this summer another of our better o-linemen quit when he learned he was in danger of failing out of school. Suddenly we went from having a young but experienced o-line with good back-up players to losing two of our starters and becoming thin at that position. When it rains it pours!

This year at the home games they band is walking through the parking lot. Also we have an updated mascot. I am not sure who is responsible, but I think the new Athletic Director is going to be good for EIU. She mentioned that she tries to attend as many sporting events as possible. I have seen her at both the away football games. She walked around the tailgate area checking everything out and stopping to talk here and there. You go girl!!!!

Game time! Trevor always wears those long white socks so we should be able to see him in this scrum. He is in there, somewhere, but I can't find him.

It was a six o'clock start time so the lighting was not good for action shots. He is in this one to??

There he is! I got him, he was standing still!

Got'em again!

Billy is our new mascot. He is a lot more rugged and muscular looking than our old mascot.

Today was Trevor's first start of the season. We believe they were not starting him to give his shoulder that much more time. Just to be sure it was healed completely and strong enough to take the abuse football dishes out. He had a great game: 6 tackles with 2 for loss with a player rating in the 90th percentile.

When it rains it pours!

On the last defensive play of the game Trevor made a cut to get to their quarterback and tore his MCL. We saw him limp off the field and saw the trainers work on him but from where we were it did not seem that anyone was overly concerned. We were in the parking lot waiting for Trevor when Dr. Rudert came out and told us about Trevor. I could tell it pained Doc to have to give us the bad news. Doc really likes Trevor. Doc told us Trevor would be out 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the extent of the damage. MRI on Tuesday afternoon.

We won the game 38 to 3 and got to see some of the younger players play. I was impressed! Granted I an not that knowledgeable about football, but these guys look quick and appeared to make good decisions.

When Trevor finally came out of the locker room, he was upset. He was really looking forward to this season. He was feeling good, he was pain free for the first time since his junior year in high school. He felt like this team is a good team and could go several games into the playoffs. He really wanted to be a big part of it. Then this.

When it rains it pours!

He is currently wearing a brace that restricts him from moving his leg. It runs from the middle of his thigh to his ankle and his leg is swollen and is black and blue in some places.

On Sunday morning the rain and winds finally arrived! Wind gusts were predicted to be up to 60 miles per hour. We went into town to see Trevor before his Sunday football meetings and the town looked like it had been hit with those 60 mph winds. Branches, trash cans, and debris everywhere. Also there were scattered power outages.

Kyle and Luke called to tell us their drive was pretty interesting through the storms but ... when it rains, it pours! .... Luke's train was then cancelled because of all the water on the tracks. He got to spend another evening with Kyle in Carlinville...before heading back to 'the City'.

After returning to the RV and checking the hour by hour forecast, we decided to wait till three before attempting to drive. By three o'clock the weather was breaking up and we were able to pack up and hit the road. About 30 miles from home the sun came out and Cindy was able to get this shot of the sun. Even though when it rains it pours, the sun will shine again!

Ken F.