No offense to Paul Clifford, but in 2006  "A Pirate's Life" is not for everyone.  Five home games in six weeks.  That's brutal.  Some football prognosticator looked at this stretch for the Pirate Football Team as a chance to pick up some wins, establish some continuity with the young players and whoop it up in your home stadium. 

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FANS????

To put it in football terms, there are several members of the Pirate Nation on the disabled list.  Do the schedule makers realize how tough it is to tailgate five times in six weeks?  And I'm not talking about UNC or N.C. State tailgating parties.  I am talking serious tailgating.  It may look easy, but that's what professionals do.  We make it look effortless.  But even a stretch like this will take its toll on the best of tailgaters. 

I've heard stories of pulled biceps from too many 12 ounce curls.  Gastrointestinal problems from excessive barbecue and hot wing consumption.  And let us not forget stressed vocal cords, bruised tail bones, and mild concussions from beer (or soda) can crushing against the skull. 

As many have noticed the fan attendance dropped in the last two home games against Tulsa and SMU.  But take this into consideration, some of our Pirate Nation are mere fledgling tailgaters, babies when you think of it.  You can't expect freshmen and sophomores to show up on campus, and jump right into the fire.  They must be trained properly.  Two home games here, a couple road games then back home for another pair.  They could seriously injure themselves and then what kind of presence would we have at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. 
 
A couple quick closing thoughts:

1.	Schedule Makers- Don't forget about the fans.  We need some recovery time.  Some of us aren't as young as we used to be. (ATTN: TROY D.)
2.	Fans- Pace yourself.  When we have a schedule like this, we can't go guns blazing in week one and have nothing left in the tank when the home stand ends.
3.	Teachers and Bosses- Thank you so much for letting us leave early on Fridays and come in late on Mondays during this stretch of home games.  Things should be back to normal.  At least until November 10th gets here.

Chris Stansbury