Like so many other things in our daily lives, time seems to be racing by. For me, it doesn’t seem possible that this is the 52nd Webb Weekly column penned in the last year. Often at this time of the year, many publications and television shows are filled with those ‘look back’ features that reflect upon what has occurred during the past year. Indeed, in the world of sports, there have been many memorable moments that have touched us all. No doubt, some of those moments may have been relived by the presents we unwrapped under the Christmas tree on Monday.

While it is not defined as a ‘sport’ many of you have developed a game plan to hit the stores to exchange gift items that didn’t quite fit or to spend those gifts cards on items that Santa omitted from his recent journey. In doing so, you may have noticed a pre-New Year’s Day ‘tradition’ most commonplace around these parts — the selling of sauerkraut as a staple for that New Year’s Day meal. Personally, I have no idea why as both the smell and taste of the cabbage-based indulgence I gladly leave to others.

It is not fine dining. It’s a sloppy gray-green-yellow mess that’s rooted in Pennsylvania Dutch tradition and served with the promise of guaranteeing good luck. Sauerkraut deals seem to be everywhere, and some of the most traditional Pennsylvanians prepare to retrieve Ball jars from their cellars filled with substance prepared the previous fall. It’s served at firehouse dinners and churches and eaten by lots of superstitious folks. It seems to be something you ‘just do’ on New Year’s Day. Tradition or not, I’ll pass.

There will be plenty of hot dogs and baked goods consumed at numerous holiday basketball and wrestling tournaments taking place as we near year’s end. With families gathered and time off of work, it is a good opportunity to get out and take in the kids and grandkids athletic competitions during the next few days.

Although vastly different from the format it once presented, college bowl games are presenting a gluttony of 41 televised games to serve the appetite of even the most avid fan. Locally most hold little meaning, but Penn State’s December 30th appearance in Arizona’s Fiesta Bowl is sure to be the occasion of many a viewing party.

The Fiesta Bowl is one of college football’s Big Five Bowls, (the Rose, Orange, Sugar, and Cotton are the others) but it is not where the Nittany Lions hoped to be at year’s end. Hold that 11-point lead against Ohio State for the game’s last five minutes, and a lot of the ‘what-ifs’ wouldn’t be a part of the discussion. But for the PSU players, the Arizona desert is not a bad place to play with the hoped-for College Football Championship Final Four now just a bad dream.

This will mark Penn State’s 48th Bowl Game appearance. To date, they have compiled an impressive record of 28-17-2. In those aforementioned major bowls, the Happy Valley eleven are 14-6-1. Along the way, they have found the Fiesta Bowl very much to their liking. In their six previous trips going undefeated at 6-0.

For the record those victories include:

– 1977: Arizona State 42-30
– 1980: Ohio State 31-19
– 1981: USC 26-10
– 1987: Miami 14-10 (to win the National Championship)
– 1992: Tennessee 42-17
– 1997: Texas 38-15

As a matter of date, the Fiesta Bowl will not be played on New Year’s Day, but the tradition of January 1 Bowl games have been a frequent occurrence for Penn State. Of their 48 bowl games, 24 have been played on New Year’s Day, most under the coaching of Joe Paterno. JoePa is the only coach in college football history to have competed in and won, all five major bowl games. His team’s record in major bowls is 13-4.

While the clamor to crown an NCAA National Champion has given us the current four-team playoff format it has, in effect, deemed the other traditional ‘New Years’ bowl games as nothing more than exhibition games. At 10-2, the University of Washington presents a most worthy opponent for Penn State and gives the thousands of Pennsylvania fans who will make the trip westward some fun days in warmer weather. But if you are not Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia or Alabama, all the other 38 collegiate ‘bowl games’ are merely side dish appetizers to what will take place in Pasadena, New Orleans, and Atlanta during January’s first week.

If you are so fortunate to be relishing some extra time off from work, enjoy the bounty of sporting events presenting themselves at this very special time of the year. As you celebrate, please do so safely and appreciate those family traditions that have been passed down over the years. Hopefully, good luck will be your 2018 companion should you choose to pass on any sauerkraut consumption!

Happy New Year!!!!