George Strait recorded the Dean Dillon-written song, Easy Come Easy Go, in 1993. It was also an Elvis Presley movie in 1967. 

“Goodbye, farewell, so long, vaya con dios.
Good luck, wish you well, take it slow.
Easy come girl, easy go.”

This morning I picked up both a dime and a quarter – a very prosperous day of running. With all the leaves on the ground, I wouldn’t have spotted the dime without stopping to grab the quarter. However, by the time I went to put them in my pocket, the quarter was missing from my gloved hand and despite efforts to find it, the coin had disappeared. Maybe tomorrow I’ll find it again or it will be swept away with the leaves? Easy come…easy go.

The coin flips have also gone my way in the world of sports this weekend. My former Elkhart Blue Blazers, now Lions, moved on in the Indiana High School football playoffs with a victory over Chesterton. They play Merrillville next on their quest for a state 6A championship. The winning momentum continued with I.U. football dominating the University of Michigan, a team they hadn’t beaten in 33-years and 24-attempts. This will vault them into the Top 10, a status no Indiana football team has ever held. Michigan State is next weekend, followed by a chance to beat Ohio State, another BIG 10 team with a decades-long history of head-to-head thrashings. It’s hard to believe that Hoosier football has a much better chance of national prominence than basketball. But, like the quarter I found this morning…easy come…easy go.

You’ll never find me being overconfident when it comes to I.U. athletics, despite witnessing three National Championships in basketball. As a 20-year season ticket holder in football, I never once expected I.U. to achieve this level of success on the gridiron. It’s never been easy to be an I.U. football fan. An optimist might even look forward to a BIG 10 championship and Rose Bowl. Is a National Championship even possible?

Yesterday’s football action concluded with a ho-hum Oregon Ducks win over Stanford and a thrilling double-overtime victory by Notre Dame over Clemson. It was the first loss by the Tigers in 39 games…Easy come…Easy go. Today, I hoping that the Bears can rebound against the Titans, the Colts can top the Ravens, and Portland Timbers soccer can get back on the winning track. Without overseas travel, fine dining, live music, and Broadway shows to keep me entertained, I’m grateful that sports have survived and my teams are winning…but realistically…easy come…easy go.