We have a special Sunday Brunch guest who's going to share his Fed Cup experience with you in a Crisis Center post that will go live shortly, but for now, knowing how many of you will be watching the Super Bowl later today, I'm posting this as a place to talk about The Game and do your match - er, play-calling.
You might assume I'm a New York Giants fan -after all, I've lived in or near New York City for most of my life. And even as a little shaver, I recall begging my dad to tank up at the local Shell station, because they were giving away handsome, promotional pen-and-ink drawings/posters of Del Shofner, YA Tittle (yes, I'm that old!) and - of course! - the great Sam Huff. All those great Giants from the early, glory days of the NFL.
That was back when the Giants played at Yankee Stadium. But the team lost me when it moved to the Meadowlands, and then living on the farm in game-rich Andes for 10 years during the Marv Levy years turned me into a Buffalo Bills fan (it's a heartbreak most of us will never get over, and the Giants played the major role in it, eh Asad?) . That was the Phil Simms-Lawrence Taylor Giants. Simms seems like great guy but, sheesh, Jim Kelly was our Brett Favre - a guy who was crazy and didn't care about nothin' (except his teammates). He also let the ball fly, freely and often.
Simms was an all-pro QB and (I think) MVP one year - seemingly without ever tossing a pass that landed more than two yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The great Giants teams were grinders; I always liked the more potent offensive teams, like the Bills. You couldn't help but admire LT, but you loved Bruce Smith.
The New England Patriots seem like football's equivalent of Roger Federer, and I'm surprised by how much antagonism there is toward them. I guess a lot of that is because of Bill Belichick, that stupid hoodie, and that nasty play-stealing stunt earlier this year. Yet how can you not bow to Tom Brady, and the rest of the crew that takes its marching orders from Belichick and actually plays the game? Brady doesn't even look like he's working out there, I'm not sure I've ever seen him run, except to get on and off the field for a change of units. For someone to play a basically fast, chaotic, violent game with such preternatural aplomb and imperturbability is, to me, an act of sheer How does he do that? genius.
It's funny how major sports mirror each other, and I think the Super Bowl match-up today mirrors the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry in tennis. Anybody else see that connection, or have something else to add? And where are y'all watching the game? We're going to my friend Liz Nevin's apartment for the Super Bowl. Cowboy Luke has been talking about it all week, mainly because he thinks there will be cake there because it's a "party." Liz being Liz, made a rich chocolate cake, just to keep the little cowpuncher happy.
I have only one request on Super Bowl Sunday, wherever I am: I want potato chips with sour-cream-and-onion dip, preferably the kind made from sour cream and a packet of French onion soup. It's my all-time, hands-down favorite snack. Or should I say "meal", because that's inevitably what it becomes. . .
Enjoy the game, everyone!