NFL Thoughts - Week 16

I'm sitting here right now, with the rest of my household taking a Sunday afternoon nap. Christmas shopping is done, so we don't have any need for the self-punishing experience of a last minute trip to Target or Kroger.

* Colts vs. Texans. Colts' defensive player was just called for a personal foul (15 yards) for a horse-collar tackle. Dungy ran out onto the field, arguing the call and pleading his case with referee (oh, and lawyer) Ed Hochuli. Now, I like Tony Dungy. But come on. The play resulted in Houston having the ball on the Indy 44. With 3 minutes left in the 1st half, your team is up by 17 points. At home. In typical Hochuli fashion, the call was explained quite well ("does not matter whether [the player] goes down forward or backward, by rule, that's a 15 yd penalty") and Tony D was seen continually professing his player's innocence. I'm sure he would say it's just the competitive nature of the game, but this call cost your team absolutely nothing in a game whose importance rivals that of the intra-squad scrimmage in early August.

* Titans vs Jets. The Titans are formally listed as "in the hunt" for a playoff spot, but that entails running the table the rest of the way, as well as certain other teams losing. Oh yeah, did I mention that next week, we play the freakin Colts, at home?!? I suppose it's a winnable game(especially if Indy rests the big names for the playoffs), but I'm just not sure if I want us to make it. After losing some of the games we did this year, I don't think we deserve the playoff spot. And I really think a playoff game would prove ugly, and would just prolong the agony. We don't have a Super Bowl-caliber team, and we're just not ready to play the likes of Indy or New England and make it a game. Remember the Bengals game? Update: The Bengals are currently down 19-0, so a win today keeps us in the hunt. We'll see.

* Packers vs Bears. Temps in the teens with a subzero wind chill. I just can't imagine.

* Fantasy. I'm out of the money in my league (PayDay or Monopoly money, of course....I don't remember which). But I am playing for 1st place of the "consolation bracket", which is 5th and 6 place out of 10. Today, here's who I need to do well (Kurt "I used to be a grocery boy" Warner, Marshawn Lynch, Ocho Cinco, Aaron "I can't believe I'm getting touches behind Deuce and Reggie" Stecker, Adrian "the one in Purple" Peterson, and my sentimental players Titans ST/D and Rob Bironas. 2/3 of my opponent's players are either Eagles or Colts, so he's taking the "all of my eggs in one basket" approach.

Twas the Weeks Before Christmas

It was a very busy week for us, primarily because Leah had church choir obligations leading up to two performances this weekend. 2-hour rehearsals were scheduled for Mon-Thur, although Leah blew off Tuesday's in favor of her company Christmas party. Thursday's was actually cancelled, but she still had to be at church before 5:00PM Saturday and Sunday for 6:00 performances. Oh yeah, and she also sang in the first 2 of our 3 Sunday morning worship services this morning, all of which can be quite draining for someone that's almost halfway through a pregnancy!

But the production was very enjoyable and included a couple of my favorite soloists who sometimes sing during 'regular' worship. What can I say?...they can sing, and I can't. There's nothing like an incredibly uplifting and powerful song sung by a beautiful voice.

I can't really do any of these folks justice by talking about it, but here are the last couple of minutes of one of the numbers. Pardon the quality (or lack thereof), but keep in mind that this was shot with a Canon still-camera that happens to have video capability. Action News 5, I ain't. That's my cousin Steve, but wait, he hung up his camera, but you get the point.

Meeting a Legend

There I was, flipping radio channels one day while I was going to lunch. New to our area is the jewelry store Jared and their ubiquitous commercials. But this one caught my attention: "Meet former Titans running back Eddie George December 1 at Jared." Holy cow! No longer is my Titan fanatic-dom limited to Titans caravan autographs from virtual unknowns like Chris Sanders, John Thornton, Troy Fleming, and Tyrone Calico (who says, "That's my favorite player...he's an underappreciated defensive tackle" anyway?).

It worked out great, as Nicholas spent the night with my mom the night before and Leah had early morning choir practice in preparation for the Christmas program. What shall I do with my extra time? Leah and I actually hit Dick's Sporting Goods (another new addition to our area) for something sign-worthy for #27. I just didn't want his autograph to be thrown in with the crowd on the mini-helmet that I already have.

I arrived at the store about an hour and 15 minutes ahead of the posted start time, and there were already a handful of people there. But the store hadn't even set up a table or established a place for the event, so a line really had not formed yet. So I figured I do them the courtesy of at least looking at jewelry lest they label me some shallow, sports-minded freak who was just using their facility as an autograph venue. I did find something that Leah would like, and being that Christmas and Leah's birthday are conveniently located 18 days apart, I have ample opportunity to go back, I suppose.

I ended up 5th or 6th in line when it finally formed. No big deal. In front of me was the girlfriend or wife of somebody that worked at the store, along with some goofy Ohio State alumni folks, one of which was in his sixties, had white-haired sideburns that screamed "Elvis" and whose Ohio State National Champs T-shirt was about 2 sizes too small. And one guy that kinda showed up after the line was already formed but knew them so thus he claimed his place close to the front, kinda pushing the envelope a bit for the unspoken autograph line etiquette.

Standard rules applied--one autograph per person. A stack of 8x10 color photographs was available for those clueless or unprepared folks who wanted him to sign their left nipple or something. The 8x10's even had the authentic NFL hologram sticker, as well as converted Avery mailing labels that said, "Jared--the Galleria of Jewelry." Marketing people...geez!

Anyway, here's my proof. I met Ed-die, Ed-die....welcomed him to Memphis, and told him I'd buy his dinner if we were hit Corky's down the street. I guess he was too busy.