Please, even if this resonates, do not give it a POTD. there is only one POTD today

It's posts like this that make me realize how much this board is like an extended part of my family. Buzzard is and will always be part of the fabric of this board. There are so many on this board that I have both battled and joined in politics, pop culture, world affairs...and of course BYU athletics. Much like a family, there are those I quarrel with routinely, those who share my philosophy, and those who merely watch with a bemused look and place their focus on far more important things.

But ultimately, I view the loss of even those completely opposite to my own philosophy as a huge loss to this board.

Buzzard has been a fixture...and far more a calming influence than an agitator like myself. When I say he is like family it's not in any way trite. I have been associated with this board since it was BYUBoard...somewhere in excess of 15 years. We've seen the departure of Lavell, the promise and fall of Crowton. The tragic downfall of a very good man in Roger Reid. And for 10 years we have feuded like family about Rose and Bronco.

And in the middle of all of that, I learned about shows like Breaking Bad from this board. I discuss the finer aspects of governance. I get turned on to movies and music and a host of other things. Someone will ask about a product or service, and I will read with interest because I may be interested in the same thing.

This truly isn't a sports board. It's more a family that gets together for one shared interest, BYU sports.

Buzzard is part of that family. I've never met Buzzard. Yet I read his post and react with sincere emotion...because Buzzard is family.

Yes, there are few of the family I have ignored. Hey...we all have those family members we just don't mesh with. But they are still part of the board...and if they were under attack from a different board...a different fan base...most of us would rise to their aide because we share the common bond of a love of BYU sports. I might be a blue kool aid drinker...and they might have their glass half empty...but we all suffered a few days ago when Tyler Haws didn't move on...when Skyler Halford...who had gone from goat to heart of the team played his last game. We all let out a guttural moan when Taysom Hill went to the ground, and didn't get up. We are united by a love of BYU.

Buzzard is a part of that. He's all of us. And I gather he has been engaged in the battle of his life...a battle where triumph may not be the result...but this board has been in some ways a comfort to him. And when he received the horrible news...he wanted us to know...because we are family.

Buzzard. You are indeed forever a part of this band of brothers...with a few sisters thrown in to keep us civil. You are us. And if your service on this earth is coming to an end a small part of each of us will go with you.

I've chewed El Jefe a new one on so many occasions...but Buzzard called it right. This is not just a sport's board. It's a family reunion every day.

God bless you Buzzard. And thanks for being a part of my family.