Monday, January 31, 2005
A Bowl of Chili, Please, and I'll Take it to Go
Thank goodness Super Bowl week has finally arrived. Last week, the sports media provided continuous updates on Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver Terrell Owens and whether his injured ankle would permit him to play in the big game. Outlets such as ESPN seemed slightly embarrassed to be devoting so much time to it, but they couldn't help themselves--it was literally the only story available during the off-week prior to the game.
Now that game week is here, the stories will increase in variety, but not necessarily in importance. The biggest is likely to be the announcement of whether Owens will, in fact, play (it will most likely come on Thursday). My first Super Bowl prediction is this: Owens won't play, having been convinced by cooler heads that it would be better to miss the game and collect the remaining millions on his contract than it would be to play, be largely ineffective (which he almost certainly would be), and risk further injury. Besides, even if he doesn't play, Owens will have kept the sports media focused almost exclusively on him for over a week--an accomplishment he most likely cherishes almost as much as he would a Super Bowl ring.
Now, my other prediction. It's only Monday, but I already know I am making chili for the game. The only question in my mind is which recipe to use. And it's only Monday, but I already know who's going to win the game--the only question in my mind is the actual score.
Once each decade, a team comes along against whom it's madness to bet: the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90s, the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s, and the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s. Should New England win on Sunday, they'd join those early-90s Cowboys as the only team in the Super Bowl era to win three times in four years. The Eagles are a good team, but the Patriots are a great one. I don't think the game will be one of those Super Bowl blowouts, 55-10 or 52-17, but barring wholesale arrests or mass food poisoning, just as a New England victory over Pittsburgh was a mortal lock last weekend, a New England victory over Philadelphia is a mortal lock this Sunday.
I'm Outta Here: Politics has been my hobby for many years, but when the average day's political news makes a person want to beat his head against the wall of his office, it may be time to reconsider his hobby, especially if he lacks the skills to patch drywall. So this blog is going on hiatus for a couple of weeks, although I may post if something comes along that's simply too good to pass up.
If anyone's looking for me, I'll be in the bar.
Thank goodness Super Bowl week has finally arrived. Last week, the sports media provided continuous updates on Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver Terrell Owens and whether his injured ankle would permit him to play in the big game. Outlets such as ESPN seemed slightly embarrassed to be devoting so much time to it, but they couldn't help themselves--it was literally the only story available during the off-week prior to the game.
Now that game week is here, the stories will increase in variety, but not necessarily in importance. The biggest is likely to be the announcement of whether Owens will, in fact, play (it will most likely come on Thursday). My first Super Bowl prediction is this: Owens won't play, having been convinced by cooler heads that it would be better to miss the game and collect the remaining millions on his contract than it would be to play, be largely ineffective (which he almost certainly would be), and risk further injury. Besides, even if he doesn't play, Owens will have kept the sports media focused almost exclusively on him for over a week--an accomplishment he most likely cherishes almost as much as he would a Super Bowl ring.
Now, my other prediction. It's only Monday, but I already know I am making chili for the game. The only question in my mind is which recipe to use. And it's only Monday, but I already know who's going to win the game--the only question in my mind is the actual score.
Once each decade, a team comes along against whom it's madness to bet: the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90s, the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s, the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s, and the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s. Should New England win on Sunday, they'd join those early-90s Cowboys as the only team in the Super Bowl era to win three times in four years. The Eagles are a good team, but the Patriots are a great one. I don't think the game will be one of those Super Bowl blowouts, 55-10 or 52-17, but barring wholesale arrests or mass food poisoning, just as a New England victory over Pittsburgh was a mortal lock last weekend, a New England victory over Philadelphia is a mortal lock this Sunday.
I'm Outta Here: Politics has been my hobby for many years, but when the average day's political news makes a person want to beat his head against the wall of his office, it may be time to reconsider his hobby, especially if he lacks the skills to patch drywall. So this blog is going on hiatus for a couple of weeks, although I may post if something comes along that's simply too good to pass up.
If anyone's looking for me, I'll be in the bar.
