Watching the Illinois State - EMU game today was difficult enough, but I once again began to question - why?

Why do I remain with this team? Why do I have to wait 25+ years for some degree of success? Why don't I just jump on the U-M or MSU bandwagon and get it over with? I'd no longer be alone sulking every week after a loss - I could be planning an annual bowl trip or some elaborate celebration of my "adopted" team's success.

On top of it all, the recent success by Western and Central only rubs salt into my wounds. Not just the little specks, but the heavy rock salt - and it hurts!!

It's clear Ron English has much more work to do. I hope he is up for the task, or this season may confirm that Ypsilanti is the graveyard of college coaches.

As for the why part, I'll pull out the old chestnut - the etymology of the word fan - which comes from "fanatic" Only a fanatic would readily suffer through the past decades of EMU football.

There is always hope, of course. Northwestern was once the bottom rung of the Big Ten and all of college football, but now has yearly expectations of top-25 rankings and bowl visits. The Red Sox did beat the curse. The Cubs - well, I'm sure someday....

So the suffering continues, at least for another week. Why must I suffer? Because that's what fans do. Unfortunately, some more than others. My personal curse is of course a double-whammy - an EMU fan/alum and a Detroit Lions season ticket holder. The last decade was difficult in all ways imaginable.

Perhaps when fortunes do turn, it will be sweeter than anything imaginable - you know, Willie Wonka-type stuff. Let's all hope so.

I was at the last EMU bowl game (a great upset victory for an 18-point underdog, considered by many to be the best bowl game played that year), and I'll be damned if I'll miss the next one. I just hope that I'm upright and above room temperature when that day comes.

Thanks for listening.

Go Green! Go Hurons! Go Eagles! Go EMU!