21

 My final 21st official day at Champlain was also an odd day, as it was last Monday when we buried unto a foot and a half of snow. Yesterday I was sick as a dog, so I carried out class from here at the cabin. Still, not every day is a pretty one - but it is still a day.

Today it is Simoni Lawrence who is helping me celebrate mu retirement countdown. Lawrence attended college at the University of Minnesota, and, like a lot of CFL players, had repeated stops on NFL practice squads (St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Minnesota Vikings) without ever appearing  in a game. But still, he persisted, playing along the way for the Hartford Colonials and Las Vegas Locomotives (both of the United Football League). Eventually he found his way north, playing one season for the Edmonton Eskimos before settling in for a long-run with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He holds the Hamilton record for most tackles and defensive tackles, and the CFL records for most tackles in a game (17).  Lawrence is also a three-time winner of the James P. McCaffrey Trophy, given three times to the best defensive player in the East Division.