Football Season

In the hottest and dampest part of Miami summer, excitement awaits just over a week away: the start of Cane's football season. It almost makes up for putting up with the sweltering weather.

The Herald has been ramping up coverage, and my close circle of friends and I have been ramping up emails and texts. Most of us are flying to Dallas next week to watch the first game -- our boys open the season against LSU, and we're planning a great football weekend in the Big D -- actually, in the smaller Fort Worth, where, I am told, the hipper part of town, the Stockyards, lies.

Last night I met my old friend and banker Carole at Shula's. When I walked in the door, my friend Eddy was at the bar -- he's heading to Dallas, and we compared notes about restaurants and tailgate parties.  We're all teenagers with more money, and now that we're empty nesters, these trips loom large in our lives.

Carole arrived and said "So are you ready for football, or what?" Yes, there was no "or what?" Carole was born and raised here -- the daughter of a rabid Canes fan who passed away a few years back. Carole is a 'Nole, but has a special place in her heart for my team, as well. The big game between our schools is here this season, and I told Carole to come join our tailgate party.

The big game for the Noles at home this year is Notre Dame, and Carole is planning to attend -- two of her nephews attend school in Tally.  The spirit of the game is among us.

I told Carole about the betrayal of Fredo from our firm. She was shocked -- she remembers my trying to have her bank give him a line of credit years ago. She told me he never sent back his financial statement -- so obviously he had major money issues even three years ago. He knew he wasn't credit worthy then, but hoped a bank would lend him money based on a big case we had given him to work on -- one he ended up stealing from our firm.

Carole was just happy she didn't involve her bank with this loser. He would have taken advantage of friendship through me, and nastiness would have resulted.  Hey -- as I told her, he's Saul Goodman's problem now.

Carole's about my age, and we talked about long careers. She started in banking right out of FSU, and is amazed at how her job went from true customer service to essentially being an agent of the US government.  When clients of over 20 years want to do simple transactions, Carole is stymied when they're foreign nationals, which are a majority of banking customers in Miami. Carole used to have "sweet retirees" with big accounts, but they've all moved on to Palm Beach County or Naples. Or, they've died. The young, vigorous go getters have to constantly explain themselves to the government -- and rich folks don't do that happily.

I told Carole I was ready for a change -- if something exciting or interesting came my way, I'd happily say adios to the law business. I told Carole that as a young man, those mentors I admired most had done several things with their work lives. Law has been mostly it for me for over three decades -- it would be terrific to try something else.

Who knows -- Dave's Funny Tavern?

In the mean time, tonight we get to see D1 and Joey. Joey's parents have shabbat each Friday, and we've settled into a nice routine -- every other week we have our non shabbat, shabbat at a local restaurant with them. Tonight we're meeting in the Grove. Wifey and I savor these times.

Next weekend, the whole family will be traveling. D2 and Jonathan are spending a night down the Jersey Shore, as they say -- one of D2's work friends is getting married in Long Beach Island. D1 and Joey are off to Utah for another friend's wedding. And Wifey and I are headed to Texas, for good steaks, laughter, and, of course, Canes football.

The days of Awe draw happily nigh...