A Sight for Sore Eyes

I needed to walk the dogs, while allowing everyone else in the neighborhood to sleep. Early Thursday. Minutes to the start of the United States-Russia quarterfinal on the NBC Sports Network.

I roll out of bed and into my clothes like a fireman. No wasted moves, which is much easier when the temperature is warm outside. A few laps around the neighborhood and back in time for cereal and pucks. The Americans respond with a great effort to knock the Russians from the tournament with a 8-3 victory. That is the start of my Thursday, which will end about 18 hours later when I am done watching the "NHL Tonight" roundup show on the NHL Network.

If you are keeping score, that span covers the US-Russia game, followed by the other three quarterfinals at the World Championships (Switzerland-Czech Republic, Finland-Slovakia, Canada-Sweden)and the Boston-New York and San Jose-Los Angeles games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Six games, two eyes, one man. Throw into that mix breakfast, lunch, dinner and a full day at the office and you know how tired my two eyes were.

The Web and mobile device apps allow me to take the game everywhere, which is an odd turn from where I was back in the early 1980s, when I would have to drive all over the back 40 (also known as northern Indiana) just to listen to a Blackhawks game on WIND-AM. Now, I can start the day watching the game on my big screen, watch more on my iPhone while riding the train to work, watching the rest of the daytime action on a small window on my computer screen while I work, and finally come back home and watch one of the night games on my iPad and then the nightcap on the big screen again.

With the sixth game finally over around 1 am Eastern and the "NHL Tonight" show done at 2, I crawled back into bed. A perfect day finally in the books. Two eyes, now closed. Time to rest. A new fix coming Friday evening.