I'm with the Band: Temple

Band: Diamond Marching Band
University: Temple University
Founded: 1925
Current Director: Matthew Brunner

A bowl game is the reward for a well-played season for a college football team. It's frequently a highlight for the marching band, too - essentially a free vacation to a sunny clime. There's still work to be done, of course, in preparing for the halftime show but there's down time to enjoy as well.



Of the six teams who played on Saturday, Temple had to travel the farthest. I know I'd rather be in Albuquerque in December than Philadelphia, especially on someone else's dollar. I can find nothing as to why the Temple University bands are called the Diamond Bands but they were named so by Dr. John H. Jenny in 1946.


All This and Football, Too

My Picks for the Week: 2/3 (1st in total points out of 12 players, 8th in potential points)

Our bowl group is back in business this year. With 12 participants, we're up 2 from last season. Now I get to find out if the work I put into following the regular season was worthwhile. Obviously, I'd love to finish in at least the top 3. But I'd settle for improving on last year's 9th place finish out of 10. I fell one point shy of perfection yesterday, courtesy of Ohio's last-minute touchdown. I'm delighted to be in first place but in the long run, keeping an eye on the potential points is more meaningful. Most of my league-mates risked relatively few points yesterday.