Friday Night Lights

I completed my weekday running for this week. I did 5 miles on Tuesday and Wednesday and 6.2 miles today. My train was late yesterday so I did my long run today instead of on Wednesday. My run today was .8 of mile less than my goal. I was feeling worn down so I stopped at a 10k rather than get to 7 miles. In addition the very high escalator at the Metro was not working, so I had to walk up a lot of steps this morning. I plan to get to 17 miles during the weekdays next week.

This weather this weekend is looking cold and my schedule is going to be tight. I am going to have to try to run 8.5 miles at 7 AM on Saturday. On Sunday, I will go for 13 miles at 11:30. I will DVR the Ravens game and hopefully I can start watching by 2:30.

Friday Night Lights Season 1

http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Night-Lights-First-Season/dp/B000RF1QE2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1262889372&sr=1-4

I started watching ths critically acclaimed show around Thanksgiving since the first three seasons are on Netflix's free instant watch. I read the book that the show is very loosely based on about 20 years ago. The book is a true story based on a actual team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights:_A_Town,_a_Team,_and_a_Dream

There was also a movie that I saw, which is based on the team in the book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights_(film)

The tv show is about a fictional team and characters.

At the time the series started, I did not want to watch it because I did not think a fictionalized team would work well. I enjoyed the MTV reality show about the high school football team in Alabama.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-A-Days

This show is a drama / soap opera. Part of the issue is that I am far more knowledgable about a football team than I am about for example an ad agency in the 1960s. Some of the problems that I had with storylines.

• Jason Street the star quarterback gets paralyzed in the first episode. This happens but is very rare.
• Matt Saracen the new quarterback is dating the coaches daughter, Julie. This is too much of a cliche.
• Jason Street is playing wheel chair sports far too soon after that type of injury. I would think it takes quite some time after an accident before he would be ready to participate.
• In one episode, Coach Taylor decides not to turn his star running back, Smash Williams in when he finds out he was taking steroids. Smash is greatful and the episode ends with the two of them watching a group of little kids play football. It appears that the player is close to his coach. However, the very episode, Smash leads the African American on the team towalk out before a key game based on an assistant coaches comment to the press without talking it over with Coach Taylor.
• Jason Street is suing the school and Coach Taylor for his accident. Once the lawsuit is settled, Coach Taylor hires Street as an assistant coach in the next episode.
• Tim Riggins the troubled fullback goes from partying too much and drinking during the day to a father figure to the little kid who moves in next door.
• Every single game goes down to the last play and most involve a miracle ending.
• Matt Saracen and Smash Williams have a part time job in a diner. This is inconsistent with the way the star football player are kings in these small Texas towns. In addition, when Tammy Taylor thinks she is pregnant she goes to the crowded doctors office. Who does not use a home pregancy test in 2006 and since she is the coaches wife this would have been big gossip in small town Texas where the football coach is a celebrity.

While I am critical and possibly nitpicking on the storylines, I did enjoy the season because all the character are interesting, likable and endearing. Even though Tim Riggins and Smash Williams have their faults, they are real, not bad people, they are characters that you root for. I felt for Matt Saracen, who is a nice, humble, quiet kid who is suddenly thrust into the pressure packed position spotlight as the starting quarterback. Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor is born to play the part of the new coach that is earning the team and the town's respect. Lila Garrity and Tyra Collette are girls from opposite sides of track who do not get along. Lila goes out with Jason Street and Tyra with Tim Riggins. Lila's father is very good as the teams biggest booster. Landry is a good student who does not play on the team. He is best friends with Matt and has a crush on Tyra.
Despite the storylines, I am continuing to watch season two. I have already watched the first two episodies. For season one, I give Friday Night Lights a B-.