A SURPRISE VISIT FROM COACH E BRINGING TIDINGS OF BIRTHDAY JOY TO eViL

In respect to tradition, Coach E has emerged from his self-imposed exile (due to time constraints) from this blog to satisfy one of the few guilty pleasures that he has left in life other than college football, Church’s Fried Chicken, and his customary Saturday night bubble bath listening to Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” radio broadcast on NPR.

Please indulge me while we flashback 25 years ago.  The year was 1987 (for those of you who were asleep in elementary school math), and on the sunny campus of The University of Florida there was this cool Freshman who we all know and love as Tony Williams was driving around in a powder blue Honda Civic blasting tracks to Prince’s new album “Sign o’ The Times” while coming up with new ways to sneak into the Purple Porpoise for an afternoon Amaretto Sour rather than going to class. U2 was all lovey-dovey with the Joshua Tree album, people all across America were enamored by acid-washed denim, and a gallon of gas cost .89 cents. Times were a heck of a lot simpler then.  eViL’s biggest worry was how many more layaway payments were left on a new VCR so he could tape episodes of WWF wrestling. Damn, times were good….

Fast forward to the present, most of us hate our jobs. We celebrate when we manage to stave off creditors for another month.  We exhale a sigh of relief when the phone rings and the caller on the other end does not tell us that someone we know has suffered a catastrophic loss or needs a loan.  We even thank whatever Gods we believe in for giving us the strength to keep from losing our collective minds. It takes a sincere and concerted effort just to be a good person. Lately, it seems like the world is being overrun with negative rhetoric, energy, & people.  It seems hard to find a lot of positives out here.

But today is a day different than most, Coach E chooses to celebrate the positive! I have the honor and privilege of wishing sincere and warm birthday tidings to Tony Williams! Yep, this old coot has made it another year and the world is a better place because of it! This man has been a friend, confident, and psychological therapist to me for over 38 years and I eagerly look forward to 38 more.  If you would, please direct your warm wishes, thoughts & prayers to the, man of the hour and special prayers to everyone he holds dear!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY YE OLDEN GATOR FAN!