I’m not really sure where the last few days have gone. All I know is that I haven’t stopped smiling and talking about my Flyers since about 9:15 last Monday night. It was at that moment that I felt like I was starting to live in the past. Certainly these are not my Flyers. Can these be the same Flyers that I have watched almost disintegrate over the last 13 or 14 years? The ability to beat a team like Kentucky on a floor other than our own has not been an option. I have been a season ticket holder for 14+ years. During those 14 years we have won a total of 31 games on the road. These 31 wins were won at the expense of teams like Chaminade, Canisius, Loyola-Chicago, Butler, and Detroit. In fact, 12 of those wins were against the last three of those powerhouses.

The reason that I bring all of this up is because of a deep-seated fear that I have. Over the years, we have had several teams that have started off like gangbusters, only to fall from grace and come crashing down to earth. Over the last 40 years, there have been six teams that have started off with impressive records and yet ended up in the trash heap at the end of the year. This group that went a combined 46-6 to start the season represents every decade. This same group finished the season in a combined 40-73 tailspin. The group that comes to mind the best is the 87-88 Flyers that started off the season 7-1 and then ran into an Oklahoma team that literally kicked the stuffing out of us 151-99. That was the beginning of the end for that team that ended up at 13-18. Don Donoher soon found himself unemployed when the next season showed no improvement. I’m sure you are out there right now saying to yourself, “Quit raining on the parade.” Yet, I am enjoying this run as much as anybody. There is nothing like going into work and having people tell me that they saw the Flyers on TV and thought they looked great. It was great to pick up the Columbus Dispatch and see an article on Wednesday that talked about how we were spicing up the young season. It was nice to be casually listening to WLW and hear Oliver Purnell’s voice. This is the most fun that a Flyer fan has had in ten years.

How many of you have looked at the schedule and started recounting wins. I know we all do that to start the season. I certainly did. In my wildest dreams, I only had us at 5-1 after the first 6 games. But now, I find myself going back with this newfound knowledge and starting to add up wins I never thought were possible. Do you know how easy it would be for us now to be 13-0 when ESPN2 comes calling with Xavier on Jan. 11? What would that be like? The most wins we have ever had at the start of a season is 14 and the last time that happened was 1955.

I have to throw some caution out there because the hot air balloon we are riding in is extremely fragile. I don’t need to tell anyone that knows much about the program that we are extremely thin at the center position. One wrong twist or stretch or bump could end things in a hurry. We already have to deal with Ashman’s hamstring. This is one of the most difficult injuries to get fully healed and it my not be fully healed at the end of this season. This young, wonderful season will follow the abilities and health of one Mark Ashman. Let’s not take too much for granted.