Football season is close. I walked out the door the other day in Chicago and it was 66 degrees, with the sun shining from an angle just south of its high, northern-summer perch, and a cool breeze blowing up the streets. It felt like autumn and the old autumn feelings were there, brought back to life by an invisible, intangible quality in the air and light.
For UCLA football the turn to fall has become fun again, with back-to-back 10 win seasons, two straight blowout bowl victories, the return to national relevance and three consecutive beatings on the other LA school to keep the City Championship, and the Victory Bell, painted blue.