Despite my dogged determination to keep the global pandemic of 2020 from derailing the COCE - it did. Kind of anyway. Luckily Sean made the suggestion to have a Zoom watch party for USC-UCLA and it was a massive success. The game was mostly horrific - as USC was trailing for most of it...took an improbable lead late...gave that lead away...and then scored an even more improbable touchdown late to win it 43-38.
Even when the Trojans were disappointing early on, the COCE crew was not. We showed up in force, and - since the virtual gathering took away all travel obstacles - we had an incredible turnout.
The MVP had to go to Brent Jones, a former co-worker and friend of Chris's from the Baltimore Sun. Brent not only showed his support, but also rallied a large (and spirited) group of former Sun staffers that knew and cherished Chris. We got to hear stories and perspectives that we hadn't at previous COCE gatherings. We were treated to an unforgettable toast from Kevin Van Valkenburg. And Brent - a Florida alum - was gracious enough to stay with us even as his Gators lost a pivotal game to LSU.
The honorable mention for MVP - though - goes to Delores. Chris's mom was one of the first guests, and - without a doubt - my favorite. If you were there, you know how priceless it was. If you weren't, I apologize - pretty tough to sum up in just words. Her warmth and care and concern were the perfect representation of Chris - and hearing her gush about having both Henri and Brian near her again was another highlight of the evening.
Despite the challenges of technology - I'm still not sure if Brian's group has seen the end of the game yet - it was a fitting substitute in a year when we were left with very few choices. Bravo - again - to Kearns for pulling it all together and making sure that we didn't take a complete L for 2020.
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