A game for the ages

I've talked a lot about my rekindled fandom with American football lately, which has been a slow and drawn out process. I think I got a bit burned out of the game after years of watching every game I possibly could each weekend, turning Sundays from a mildly productive day in preparation for work into a day filled with football as long as my senses could handle it. Now, I really only watch games that have some significance for me, such as when the Flaming Horseheads take the field or it's a compelling match-up. Well, and then there's the Super Bowl, which has become the grandiose spectacle of gridball.

 

Everything at the Super Bowl takes on bigger significance from how the coin flip works to endless hours of talking and back stories before the game even happens. The kick happens, and the game takes almost a back seat to everything else during the day - the spectacle of the commericials, the halftime show, and hopefully an amazing finish. This past Sunday though, the game was as compelling a match-up as I'd seen in a while. You had the Indianapolis Colts with their honored leader, Peyton Manning. It was expected the Colts would be here, as they had dispatched most of their opponents all year rather easily except for a two game period where the Colts rested their regular players. Their opponents were the New Orleans Saints, a team with a 42 year legacy of spectacular ineptitude. In their history, the Saints were so bad many seasons, the fans resorted to wearing paper bags over their heads when they watched the games. The fact that many fans did this in their homes was even more remarkable. The city also remains a shell of itself after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina so many years ago that there are still parts of the town that remain in shambles.

 

It was a classic matchup between the expected and unexpected, the anointed winner before the game was even played versus the team that nobody was that sure should be there. Despite the Saints being the number one seed in the NFC, they weren't expected to beat an Arizona team that had been scoring points like a basketball game, but they did. They weren't supposed to beat a Minnesota team that had a future Hall of Famer as their quarterback, but they did when the quarterback named Farve made a rookie mistake in throwing a pass that put the game in overtime and the Saints won the game on a field goal by a relatively inexperienced kicker during a season that kickers were having all sorts of issues. I wasn't sure if I was watching the game on Sunday because I'd grown tired of the hype, but on Sunday afternoon, I ended up watching the game. Ok, my wife said she was watching it and basically chided me into admitting I was a gridball fan. Yes, I run a pretend football league and I like the game, but I also hang with some soccer fans who love nothing more that trashing other sports because of the lack of respect those fans give to soccer. I should just be honest with myself and them and admit I love both games quite a bit, but for very different reasons.

 

I love soccer because of the relative beauty of a very simple game played extremely complexly, where the crowd goes nuts at those moments when a goal happens because it might only happen once or twice. The game seems very simple on the surface, but there are incredible nuances that can't be appreciated unless you really pay attention. The constant motion and running of the clock also lends to an ultimate sporting experience that is done usually within 2 hours. American football on the other hand is more of a chess match punctuated by moments of violent collisions. It's not a sport for the faint of heart, but when it is played well, it can be pagentry watching a quarterback dissect a defense with precision passing or watching a running back make players miss tackles with a simple change of direction or a well timed hit. And when you have a game like what happened on Sunday, even the non-football fan was treated to a classic game.

 

The commercials were better than average, and the halftime show was CBS subtly advertising their CSI franchise with the band that does all the theme songs, but the game itself was one of the best I'd seen ever. I didn't have a horse in the race, I just wanted to see a good game and that happens. The Colts jumped out to an early lead with Manning hitting passes all over the field and causing some confusion for the Saints offense. The Saints adjusted in the second quarter by putting together two very long scoring drives while keeping Manning on the bench, and the game was close at the half.

 

In a move that will go down in history as one of the biggest gambles in football, the Saints tried an onside kick to start the third quarter, and caught everyone in the stadium by surprise. In the crazy scramble for the ball, the Saints recovered and took the ball in for a touchdown, and the Colts and Saints traded scores in a back and forth quarter until the Saints kicked their third field goal and the game was within one point. The Saints started the fourth quarter on a drive, and then scored their second touchdown to take a 5 point lead. They went for a two point conversion, and got the points after a successful challenge (the receiver caught the ball but was pushed from the endzone and fumbled the ball so the play was originally ruled as an incomplete pass). They then put the target on their defense to stop Manning and the Colts.

 

And so the Colts marched up the field with precision passing and some well timed runs, but the drive was taking more time that usual as the Saints kept the Colts to short yardage gains. When the Colts had gotten to within the shadows of their endzone, Manning threw a short in pass when the receiver went slightly out, and Saints cornerback Tracy Porter ended up making a great interception that he ran all the way back for a Saints touchdown. Nobody saw Manning making a mistake like this at a critical part of the game, but he did and the Saints took advantage of it, much like they'd done all season. The Colts made one last run for the endzone, but fell just short as their last gasp pass fell incomplete on fourth down and the Saints ended up victorious 31 to 17.

 

At that moment, the history of the Saints didn't matter as the city partied like they did after beating Minnesota and Bourbon Street became an impromptu celebration of the Saints victory as the winning field goal flew through the uprights. The victory was more than a celebration of a city that has dealt with adversity in so many ways, but for players like Saints quarterback Drew Brees who chose New Orleans because they wanted to be part of the rebirth of this ravaged area. Brees had a nice career with the San Diego Chargers until he injured his shoulder and the Chargers chose to go in a different direction. Brees visited New Orleans and wanted to make a difference in an area that needed people to step up, and even moved his family within the city limits. And here he was, leading this team with the history of losing that was now crowned the champion of football.

 

It was a truly moving and trandescent moment, and one that all sports fans could relate to. Fans live for the moments where their team makes the right play, the ball finds the right spot, everything comes together, and there's a time to celebrate the accomplishments of a championship. The journey is often filled with distractions, injuries, bad luck, and whatever other hurdles can be thrown in there, which makes victory all that more sweet. And for a city and a team that needed a huge boost, it got one because of a special group of players that not only had good football talent, but understood their role in helping a city heal. It's one of the most memorable games I've witnessed in a very long time, and I couldn't be more pleased for the Saints.

 

It's easy to parallel the Saints and their situation with that of our hometown basketball team, who have been putting their medical staff on overdrive this season with an incredible assortment of injuries. And yet here they sit at 30 and 23, 7 games over .500 and within the playoff race despite having more games lost to injury than any other NBA team. Despite the adversity, despite the player losses, this team continues to scrap and claw to win games that they honestly shouldn't have with the talent on the court. Yet, here they are, and it's a testiment to the hard work of the players that are playing and the coaching staff that we're at this point.

 

Many sports fans jump from bandwagon to bandwagon, wanting to be part of the winning programs yet a lot of them don't put in the heavy lifting that being a true fan takes. Being a true fans means loving your team whether they win or lose, whether the wheels fall off the wagon or the team overachieves dramatically. The Saints fans put up with 42 years of absolute chaos and distractions, and suddenly, things fell into place and they are the Super Bowl champions. I admire those that took on the ride for all those years for those moments of true celebration, true exhaulation, and true fandom. It's why we keep coming back to sports time after time, despite everything, and why we should love our team no matter the challenges.

 

Where the &()^*(%%% Did I Put the Aspirin?

I love my wife most dearly, as most of you already know. I'm probably not the best at showing appreciation at points, but I'm trying to learn to be more perceptive and appreciative about all the things she does. I've never met anyone who deals with so much in such an efficient, logical manner, and yesterday, I gained quite a bit of appreciation of what she deals with when I get to escape to the relative quiet of my cubicle farm.

 

Granted, our house is going through major upheaval with a construction project to put extra rooms in back, so things aren't exactly normal around our place. But then again, we live with seven cats and my mother in law, so normal is a relative thing. There's always something going on, as it's rare to have a quiet day with nothing going on. Tuesday night, girl wasn't feeling too well and so skipped out on bowling, and asked me to work from home the next day so I could be here to deal with the chaos of the day. I agreed, because I have the flexibility to do that and I wanted to help.

 

And things got off to a raucous start with my first conference call at 8 AM and the construction crew arrived. I've worked around construction before, so I understand there's noise about, but I'd forgotten how constant it can be, especially with a rather chatty crew. Our contractor is a great guy, and his crew is extremely professional, and when they are in the mode, they are very detail oriented while having fun loudly. Well, and playing with loud tools means lots of constant noise. While humans can relatively tune it out, our cats aren't as tuned in so they tend to cling tenaciously to any familiar humans because of the unfamiliar sounds. Granted, we are blessed with some of most visible cats ever as they are constantly about, unlike other cats I know that only tend to appear when they want something.

 

As the day wore on, I spent my time balancing my work calls and emails along with interruptions from the crew about questions (thankfully, they told me they'd be making a hole in the roof so we could prepare for it) while the phone rang a bit. Oh, and the doorbell rang because of a stream of deliveries of random stuff. I can't imagine how difficult it is to get anything done amongst the constant stream of interruptions, especially since there's not too many places to hide in our house from the noise. My office has the same interruptions and randomness, as I'm sure we can all relate to, but I have the option of putting on headphones or finding a conference room to escape to for some space out time until someone kicks me out because they have an actual meeting. I should remember to put in a real conference room reservation before I just wander into a room...

 

But what my day at home did was make me realize how much she has to deal with, and I often time take what she does for granted. I'm sure that if she had to deal with what I do at my cube farm, she would see the same thing as I did, but this is about me and my putting into words how impressed I am with what she deals with, and how much I appreciate what she is doing. And all I can say is that the end results of this project will be well worth the temporary insanity. I'll just remember to bring the aspirin home and try to pitch in where I can.

 

In other news, I was reading the headlines and found a most recent email interview with Bill Watterson, the creator of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Watterson is a remarkably talented artist who is also a major recluse, as he shunned most publicity interviews during the time he was drawing the strip that became wildly popular. Everyone could relate to the adventures of Calvin, a wonderfully adventurous boy whose imagination was unbridled by the bounds of reality. His near constant companion was Hobbes, his stuffed tiger who provided his thoughts that only Calvin could understand. The strip was required reading for me every day, as I could relate to the craziness that Calvin dealt with each day, and it became a worldwide phenomenon. Calvin and Hobbes also ushered in the golden age of some of the new strips that became pop culture repositories, often putting the world into insanely funny snapshots. I'd say that Calvin and Hobbes ranks with Bloom County and Get Fuzzy as some of the best comic art ever done in a daily newspaper.

 

And as soon as Calvin and Hobbes reached a near pinnacle status, Watterson announced he was done doing the strip. After starting his strip in 1985, citing stress and a few other issues, he decided to stop it all together. Unlike other strips that have carried on for years, Calvin ahd Hobbes left at the top of the game and fans have always wanted more to this day, as the reprints are still widely popular. We all see things in pop culture that have stayed way beyond their useful shelf life. I can't figure out the appeal of the Chipmunks myself, but hey, apparently I'm alone in my disdain for furry rodents warbling out today's crappy hits in high pitched shreaking. Calvin and Hobbes departed on their terms, and being a big fan, I was dishearted to learn that there would be no more adventures of Spaceman Spiff, Stupendous Man and what would the transmogrifier screw up this week. But I can imagine that it's a wonderful feeling to leave a legacy like this on your own terms, never having to compromise the vision of the creation, and be able to truly inspire and entertain so many. Plus this summer, I'll have to to buy the stamp!!

 

Being a Trail Blazer fan, I'm really happy to hear that we've finally got some misery in our company. Our beloved NBA team and city were listed amongst the 15 most tortured sports cities, with our history of near misses, spectacular meltdowns, a first round draft pick the city can't forget (Sam Bowie), and a most recent first round pick that can't seem to stay healthy. I moved here right before the 1989 championship run, and watched the near misses in 1991 and 1992, thinking that things couldn't get much worse. That was before the 2000 championship meltdown and the dark ages of the team that shall remain nameless. Now here we are with a collection of really good guys this season, playing out of their minds and hovering about the .500 mark despite leading the NBA in player games missed due to injury. I would expect most teams to fold up like a tent if they had to deal with the uncertainty we've dealt with this season, and despite all of that, we keep winning. If you took this sports history and linked it with the Timbers' near misses in their history, there are many sports fans that probably would have just given up already, not being able to take the losses, the pain, the suffering. That's why it takes a special breed to be a sports fan in Portland, it's not for the faint of heart.

 

How's Your Friday Morning?

I was in blissful sleep until 7 AM came and my wife and I were awoken to the sounds of a large lumber truck and a small forklift arriving at our house. Today, the crew was beginning the framing phase of our remodel, and lumber companies make their deliveries way early in the morning so the crew has the lumber before the job day starts so they can get right to work. Good for them, not so good for the people living in the house or the cats, who were freaking out at the sights and sounds of something strange. I will say this, the cats settled in later because they're now used to seeing the crew in the backyard, so they often sit and stare all day. I feel badly for girl, though, as she spent yesterday dealing with very loud equipment moving and collecting dirt. She said her ears were still ringing that night from all the noise, and I'm not surprised. I can imagine anything like that makes whatever I deal with in the office seem pale in comparison.

 

I've always had a problem with the way media turns hero worship on and off for athletes, especially when it comes to the standards of behavior. Like many other sports fans, I can be forgiving for certain transgressions simply because these people are human and should be viewed in that light because we all make mistakes. It's easy to equate prominence on the court or field into having the same success in their personal lives, and quite honestly, we find too often that our heroes are as messed up as we all are. And when mistakes happen, some jump on the bandwagon to criticize, lambaste or destroy the very folks they've elevated to this higher standard because of their sporting talents.

 

What impressed me with Greg Oden as I noted a few days ago was his ability to admit his mistake and not try to run away from what happened. He didn't shy away from the negativity, even though it could have been easy to run and hide from it all. It shows tremendous character to stand up in front of your peers and admit a mistake, and as one particular ESPN commentator puts it, he probably didn't even need to do that. It's not like Oden did something that nobody else did, he just trusted someone that he was dating with very personal information about himself. It takes a lot to build up trust enough to be that open with another person, and this girl threw that trust and feelings into the trash in the search for cash. The fact that there are those amongst us that revel in tearing down people makes me angry, but it's also the delicate balance that we have in our media today. For every wonderful, heartwarming story of triumph, there's trash like this because people are supposedly interested in it. However, before anyone can really judge Oden, shouldn't we all ask ourselves do we really have the right? Would you feel differently if it was your pictures all over the web? Would it matter that most all of us have something that we've done at that age that we aren't that proud of? If you can really say yes, no, and no to those questions, I wonder how truly fulfilling your life might be.

 

But then again, when dealing with certain media members, I can imagine the desire to be closed up as much as possible. I spent some time reading through a transcript of an interview that Oden did with a certain newsweekly here in town, where the reporter asked one of the most tasteless questions I could ever imagine. It might have been what many people were thinking, but at the same time, telling him he shouldn't be embarrassed because people were impressed was one of the lowest things I think anyone could have said at that point, especially when he was trying to be apologetic about the situation. I get that sex and nudity open up a huge can of worms for many people, and there's an incredible about of double standards about how situations like this would be handled. A reporter making a comment like this to a female victim would have been lynched on the spot, yet somehow because it's a man, the question appeared to be OK. Uh, not really, it just shows that some outlets don't care about having integrity or standards, it's simply about news hits and attention. I realize that by me linking to it, I'm contributing to the cause, but at the same point, this newspaper was one that I religiously read for years because I respected their rather unique spin on events in Portland for years. As of today, I'm no longer going to read them in web or paper form. I can't respect an institution that plays that loose and fast with the ethical rules about other people's lives, especially one that I held in some respect for many years.

 

I love to play golf, but I hate watching it on television. I don't see the point of watching it when I'd rather be out there playing on the course myself getting some exercise. I've been able to use the WII Fit Plus driving range game as a viable alternative to practice my swing in the blustery, rainy winter weather we have about here, but I don't care to watch professionals on television to help my game. I'm not the best golfer around, but when I'm out there I have fun and it allows me to relax, even when I'm hitting snowman and I'm still 100 yards from the pin. The other aspect of golf on television that I have issues with is the absolute paranoid obsession with the rules. I've never laid witness to a sport where someone watching at home can see a rules violation, call the network and have a player reported because the course marshalls missed it. Can you imagine what would happen if the NBA allowed fans to call fouls from home?? Uh, that might be an improvement..

 

But then golfers are up in arms over a recent rule change about clubs and grooves, and a prominent left handed golfer figured out a loophole in the rules changes that helps him out. Many of his fellow players equate his use of very old clubs to cheating because he went against the spirit of the rules. Yet most golfers I know when playing their friends use most every advantage in their disposal to try and come out ahead. I've even improved my lie within my loose interpretation of winter rules when I probably shouldn't have, but at the same time, I'm not going to judge somebody simply because they were smart enough to find a loophole. Again, if you can view your conscious as pure and know that you've never done anything to circumvent the rules, go ahead and yell your head off about the integrity of the game. The rest of us will be shanking our drives on the course, living the true spirit of sport.

 

Still Spinning..

I spent the afternoon yesterday at the Portland City Council to hear testimony about the agreement between the city and Peregrine Sports to bring MLS to Portland. While I'll talk more about my day at my other blog home, there's still a few thoughts that I wanted to share about things.

 

There's some crazy people out there, and some of them hang out at the council chambers. I can't imagine being a public official and having to deal with people like this, which is why I appreciate those that choose to follow this line of work even if I don't agree with their positions on many issues. It takes a special person to give of yourself in this manner, and despite all of the insanity, back biting, differing viewpoints, and other things, the city still gets things done. I'm not sure if I would call it operating on the edge of insanity, but it certainly appears that way during this MLS process. Granted, I'm sure on the more mundane proposals, there probably isn't this much attention, scrutiny, or this many public figures involved, so it's probably more quiet. One thing I will say is that I'm resolved to continue my involvement on city issues, and write emails or attend meetings when I can. It's important that everyone take their time to share their thoughts with their elected officials, even if you agree with their position. They work for us, and it's vital that they hear from the people that they represent.

 

Brandon Roy will soon be an All-Star, and all sports radio wants to talk about is whether he should play in the game or not. He's been dealing with hamstring issues and sat out for the past week from games, but I for one think he needs to participate in the festivities even if he doesn't play. His selection says a lot about the reputation of the Portland Trail Blazers and the job that Roy has done despite everything. It's amazing that this team is sitting at 27 and 20 as of today with all the injuries and distractions, and Roy's work has a lot to do with it. It's not just him, though, but until you make the All-Star team for the NBA 30 players, there's always going to be players that get shafted during the selection process. I'm wanting to make sure Roy is healthy for the long haul, but at the same time, he should be able to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

 

Think we made the wrong choice with the first pick back in 2008? Greg Oden does something that lots of young people do all the time by sending nude photos of himself to a girlfriend, who then turns around and shares them with a website that posts them all over the Internet. Instead of running away from the problem, Oden stood up and admitted his error in judgement and offered his apology to everyone. He could have hidden behind an attorney or other official, he could have allowed the team to put out a statement, but instead, he faced up to his issue and admitted what he did. Seriously, do you still feel the team made a wrong choice here? This guy may have some injury issues going on, but he's simply a great human being and a special person, and we should all be fortunate that he's here wearing our jersey.

Spin the magic wheel of life...

There's lots going on with me lately, and so when I had a spare moment to talk about it, I wanted to share some random thoughts that would be easier to play that the Simpsons version of Life. I'm sure many of you remember the game of Life, which was a pretty fun game to play for everyone. The Simpsons version requires you to have an advanced degree in astrophysics just to understand how to play the game. Girl's brothers came over for Christmas and we tried to play it as a family gathering, and let's just say we didn't make it past reading the instructions. DOH!!

 

The house right now is crazy, with us having some rooms added to the back part of our house. This endeavor helps the house in many ways: our brood of cats gets their own area where they can live, we can move about the house without the cats zooming about, and we get more space for entertaining. Well, and girl's mom gets more space downstairs while we get room for games and such. Right now, they are on day 10 of the work, and it's impressive how much can get done in a short period of time. It's required some changes around our home, as we need to be up and moving about before the work crew shows up, and they arrive between 7:30 and 8 AM. Things are going to be even more crazy when they start to work inside the house within the next few weeks, but that just makes our vacation plans for March/April that much more special.

 

We all went to see Craig Ferguson last night at the Aladdin Theatre, and it was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. If you love his late night show, seeing him live is a must as he's just as crazy in person as he is on television. There were points that I wasn't sure where he was going with his random stories, but at the same time, he was engaging, entertaining, compelling, and just plain nuts. His back story is incredibly fascinating, as he started his career in Europe, dealing with drugs and alcohol, moving to the States, and getting his show during a low time in his life. Now, he's the funniest and most irreverent guy on late night television. I wish his show wasn't on so late in the night, but at the same time, he's worth the effort to watch the feed when you can. The fact that he's Scottish and angry most of the time even helps the situation that much more. As he put it, "Portland is exactly like Scotland with teeth!!"

 

I'm also trying to work on a trait that proves more annoying at points than anything, as I'm fast learning that I might be the most gullible person in existence. This usually leads to me becoming the butt of any joke or random thought process because there are points where I may believe anything I've been told. While driving to the show, I was talking with girl's mom about the bathroom arrangement with the house remodel going on, and she said the upstairs bathroom was off limits no matter what. I suppose what got me going was her saying there is a garden hose to use while girl said we could join a gym for a month if we need a shower. They had me going for hours until I finally asked girl what she meant, and she couldn't believe that I believed them. I'm not sure what is worse - my embarrassment at believing such an outlandish story or the fact that it just proves that I could be convinced to believe anything. I guess I haven't become too cynical yet at the world, but apparently, I shouldn't make professional poker a career choice of mine.

 

I'm happy to see the Trail Blazers do well despite the fact that almost everyone on the team is injured. I'm waiting for the day that Blaze, the mascot, is out for 4 to 6 weeks with some injury. OK, apparently that has happened to a few mascots who injured themselves in some random stunts, but at the rate the Blazers are going, the injury list is longer than who is available. Well, at least some of them are returning to action soon, and by the time March rolls about, they should have everybody back by Joel, Travis and Greg. Not a bad group to run into the playoffs.

 

Finally, I don't have a horse in the NFL playoffs right now, but the story of the New Orleans Saints is one that is hard to ignore. The team has been in existence for 43 years, and have never gone to the Super Bowl. Actually, there were many years that this team was terrible, and not just bad. I mean, winless or near winless, yet the fans kept showing up each game and supporting this team no matter what. The region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina is still dealing with recovery after all these years, but they still love the Saints, and so hearing that they won their way into a Super Bowl was an incredible sight to see. The closets many Saints had been to a Super Bowl was to attend the game when it was played at the Super Dome, and now this team is one game away from the title. It couldn't happen to a better and more deserving city.