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"The stream of Time, irresistible, ever moving, carries off and bears away all things that come to birth and plunges them into utter darkness, both deeds of no account and deeds which are mighty and worthy of commemoration. . .Nevertheless, the science of History is a great bulwark against the stream of Time; in a way it checks this irresistible flood, it holds in a tight grasp whatever it can seize floating on the surface and will not allow it to slip away into the depths of Oblivion. "
- Anna Comnena (1083-1153), The Alexiad
"I have taken all knowledge to be my province."
- Francis Bacon, 1592
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Reggie White Dies at 43
It is unfortunate that many people, especially those into politics, Reggie White will largely be remembered as a former football player who said some controvercial things.
But he was more than that. He was also more than a great defensive player who came to Green Bay and helped revive the team, leading to a Super Bowl victory in '94, a victory in which he played a key role.
Packer fans, and football fans, came to see more of Reggie White, the "Minister of Defense", a devout Christian. But we didn't know him, either, not completely. Towards the end of his life, Reggie White was still searching, spiritually, trying to find answers in faith, searching and trying to overcome some of what he said, thought, and believed. As we all hope to do, trying to learn and become better.
Reggie White has died at the age of 43. I'll note here that I read somewhere that the average life expectancy of former NFL players, anyone who's played as much as a down in the league, is something like 54.
It would be easy to say something trite here, like "Reggie White is now the Minister of Gawd's defense in heaven", but that stuff always seems so - I donno, has a false ring to me. Truth is, I never know how to write these things, be it the death of a football player, statesman, or anyone really. All I can say is may the Lord keep his soul and comfort his family and friends.
Two Great Teams Going For a Championship Only One Could Win
As John Facenda once said for NFL Films. I would have preferred the Packers being there and winning (not being there and losing, natch), but we had a good Super Bowl with two decent teams.
Not that I dislike the Pats - I don't mind them winning - but my heart was with Carolina and especially Sam Mills.
I think the ending of the game proves that the Super Bowl is cursed to never have OT. (Now watch: next year's game will go to OT. If it does, as long as the Pack wins, I'll be happy).
Thus ends the ~month long period that was once my favorite month, running from late December to Late January. Winter break in Uni starting with Christmas with my mother and sister and then several weeks of evening work and watching Super Bowl Memories in my free time in the run up to the big game - I'm an oddity I guess, because somehow it was NFL Films that generated my interest in football, not the other way around (interest in football leading to interest in NFL Films) as for most people. Super Bowl Week on ESPN, interviews, the Commissioner's "State of the League" speech, I watched it all like a junky: once classes had started, I'd tape stuff or just, well, miss a class that last week. I got into the build up more than I got into the game. This was the early '90s, remember and blow-outs were de rigur (though the first game of this era I'm talking about was the Bills-Giants classic). My own earliest Super Bowl memory was when I was a pre-teen squab: the great Steelers-Rams game in Super Bowl XIV. For the longest time thereafter for some reason I associated "Swann" with "The Rams" in a bizarre synapse error (hey, I said I was young). I missed most of the games in the '80s due to lack of interest in football through that period, though I did see Doug Williams crush the Broncos. Only in retrospect was I able to appreciate just how well he played in that game (Super Bowl XXII) - at the time I didn't have enough football knowledge to know. Only after watching NFL Films Super Bowl Memories and getting up to speed by watching Jaws & the gang on Edge NFL Matchup did I come to understand how awesome a second quarter Doug Williams really had. And I saw Super Bowl XXV and got hooked, and the month before the Super Bowl became a sort of festival for me while I was in Uni. If you haven't seen those old NFL Films classics, you're missing out. Even if you don't like football, they're documentary work at its best. Of course I like I and II because the Pack kicks it, but from III with the guarantee and the drama of the upset and Earl Morall missing Orr on the flea flicker and Johnny Unitas being put in by Don Shula to try a late comeback, NFL Films found its dramatic voice, through about XXV, they're just superb. The writing, the narration (especially when done by John Facenda), the music of Sam Spence, the clips ("Just keep matriculating the ball down the field, boys" - Hank Stram) they're just wonderful productions. I got hooked on them, I don't even remember how, and then on the game itself.
That's all years in the past, though. It hits me harder this year because this particular month has been a low of sorts. Well, the game was enjoyable to watch and I'm looking to the future: lookin' up.
NFL Hall of Fame reciever Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsh has died. My Grandmother went to High School with him in Wausau and he was a stand up guy in Madison when I was living (growing up) there.
May the Lord keep his soul, and comfort his family and friends.
Oh! I almost forgot another thing that happened yesterday that I didn't get a chance to blog. First Joe Gibbs comes back to the NFL, now Dan Marino. The only other things that could happen is if Tom Flores went back to coach the Raadahs.
Well, that and the Second Coming of Vince Lombardi, but people are saying the Tuna covers that. If so, it's at the wrong team.
The romance between Keyshawn Johnson and the Buccaneers lasted, well, about the length of the average modern romance. Actually -- three and a half years is long by modern-romance standards! But they lived apart half the time, which tends to postpone the big showdown relationship talk.
TMQ thinks Johnson and the Bucs should have signed a prenuptial. Certainly considering the Keyshawn debacle, other NFL teams will now request prenuptial agreements before trades are consummated. In fact, Tuesday Morning Quarterback has obtained the draft of an athlete-team prenuptial that is, at this moment, being reviewed by the NFL Players Association:
I, the player {hereafter, THE PLAYER} do take this team {hereafter, THE TEAM} to love and to cherish, to have and to hold -- wait, holding is illegal -- for as long as it shall serve our mutual interests.
I, THE PLAYER, promise not to throw temper tantrums on national television, not to call press conferences on the sidelines during games, and not to compare my coach to notorious evil dictators from world history. If I cut too many classes to know specific examples from world history, then I promise not to compare my coach to supernatural monsters from horror movies.
We, THE TEAM, promise not to treat the player like an eight-year-old, not to insert a mind-control chip into the player's hippocampus, and not to insist that lawyers be present whenever he speaks to his position coach. Additionally, we promise to publicly blame the player for a crushing defeat not more than once per season.
Since all relationships experience strain, if tension arises, THE PLAYER and THE TEAM agree to seek counseling from Dr. Phil or, failing that, Larry King.
Should this romance end for any reason -- especially ratings! -- THE PLAYER agrees to return all team-owned equipment, especially cell phones with rollover minutes remaining, and not to toss toilet paper all over the coach's lawn. Additionally, THE PLAYER agrees to tell sportswriters that he really loves and respects his previous employers, and agrees to say this with a straight face. THE TEAM agrees to pay the player's cab fare to the airport, and not to erase every trace of his existence from the press guide. Additionally, THE TEAM agrees to tell reporters it was a really, really wonderful experience working with THE PLAYER, and to say this without a laugh track running in the background.
As for the disposition of any rings or other valuable items that may be mutually shared by THE PLAYER and THE TEAM, the parties agree that mutual possessions will be donated to charity, along with any unused timeouts.
What I wanna know is what proceedures exist for determining who gets custody of the game balls?
This weekend the NFL inducted the class of '03 into the Hall of Fame, matriculating Hank Stram, Marcus Allen, Elvin Bethea, and Joe DeLamielleure into Pro Football's hall of heroes.
James Lofton played eight of his 15 years as a pro for the Green Bay Packers, from the late '70s to the mid '80s. I wish he could have gotten a Super Bowl ring in Green Bay, but throughout that period he excelled on teams that, in other respects, could not get their act together. But Lofton was always together, on the field and off, and gave nothing but his best. I was happy to see most of his family wearing Green Bay jerseys at the induction ceremonies - I had figured that they, and he, would have come to identify more as a member of the Bills team - after all, most of his children were too young to remember him playing in Green Bay, and the Bills are where he finally had an opportunity to play with a team that was, on both sides of the ball, up to the standards Lofton played at himself.
The whole thing also brought back memories of Lynn Dickey, the QB who threw most of the balls that Lofton caught in Green Bay and who unfortunately is largely forgotten now - Dickey managed the Packers' offense masterfully in the early '80s, but it is a team game.
