Anytime you can witness your favorite college team, and your favorite professional team, get blown out in their home stadium within 24 hours of each other ... well, pass the vodka and let's recap this.
* the alarm went off at 5:45am. I literally swore as I stumbled out of bed to turn it off. Chiefs 2009: Where Steve Not Wanting To Attend Happens!
* and yes, if the rain had started 4 hours earlier, I would not have gone yesterday. I spent a week in bed two weeks ago with the flu. I didn't want to risk it again. (That, and I only have 9 1/2 PTO days left, and I intend to show up as little as possible in December. Because why get up, get dressed, and freeze trying to defrost the car when you can instead sleep in, fire up "90210" and "One Tree Hill" on SoapNet, and spend the day in bed when its -2 and snowing? Sometimes, I think I'm a genius).
* It was actually really comfortable this weekend to be outside. I overdressed for KU by wearing pants. I actually overdressed yesterday by wearing two sweatshirts. Which turned out to be a good thing since Katie only wore a t-shirt in, and needed something warmer once the rain started. Speaking of which ...
* For all the crap I take for never wearing a coat, and wearing that Chiefs Puma sweatshirt that is from Gunther's first season ... well, from the postgame:
(steve) so you were warm enough?
(katie) yeah, it was really warm actually.
I know everyone meant well by telling me to "bundle up", "wear a coat", yada yada yada ... but trust me, I've been wearing that sweatshirt for 11 years. It more than does the job that a coat does.
* Very small bus crew yesterday. I believe I counted 5 folks. The 132 Foursome, and Tyler. Katie and Will were there before the gates opened, and Tony and his son were as well, but still, the die-hards are bailing fast on this season.
* Early congratulations to, well, me, for ending my seemingly eternal losing streak at washers! Yay! (Of course, the fact that Dusty never showed up probably had a lot to do with the losing streak ending at 1,042).
* Charger chicken! Tyler took over the duties this year. Outstanding job. Ditto to the white spaghetti and the dirty rice mix. Good grief, no wonder I'm out of shape.
* Here's what I don't get about Chiefs schedule 2009. We now will go 28 days -- 28 days! -- between home games. Bye, then two roadies, before hosting Pittsburgh on November 22nd. Which I'm fine with. I'd rather play 5 of the first 8 at home given my hatred of the cold. But please, can ANYONE rationally explain to me how in the hell a team playing in a city where the AVERAGE December high is 17 degrees, scores not one, not two, but THREE straight home games in December? And still has two roadies after that stretch?
No home games for a month when its 55 every day. 3 in 15 days when its 17. The NFL: Where Asinine Scheduling Happens!
* Drew! Always good times when the brother shows up, beer(s) in hand.
* the jello shots were rock solid as always. The mamossas were flowing early and often. Ditto the screwdrivers. The lesson? Well, to quote Hawk Football t-shirts from Joe College, "Win or Lose? We'll Still Booze!" Too bad both my teams seem to prefer losing at this point.
* Jasson! I'd be lying if I said I remembered the last time that guy showed up for a tailgate.
* Brent! Holy Lord, is this three confirmed sightings of Mr. Snyder at Arrowhead this year? That's like three more than I can confirm over the last decade. Actually, two more, he did show up for the Redskins game in 2005 with all his North Carolina folks.
* Gregg! Wait, that's a weekly occurrance. The next time that guy misses a game will be the first since ... uuh ... (steve scratching head ...) uuh ... (steve searching 1980s schedules ...)
* Mark! This guy is just comedic gold. We need him to come back more often. If only for the fact that he's Dusteve without the filter. Seriously, this guy is just ... he's golden.
* The anthem chick wasn't half bad. She's no Ida McBeth, but not half bad.
* What is half bad, or totally bad, is this Rumble sh*t they keep dumping on us each week. Really? Raise your hand if you wanted a bunch of drummers standing at midfield acting like a deusche at each home game. (crickets chirping ...) Here's a thought Scott Pioli, and I chanted it every time this Rumble crap took the field yesterday. Bring Back DiParto! Bring Back DiParto! If you want a band, great! I'm all for it! Bring back the one you just kicked to the curb!
* The pre-game flyover did absolutely nothing for me. The halftime flyover, on the other hand ... well, let's wait until I get to the halftime recap.
* The 20 minutes between 11:40 and kickoff, the weather did a 180. The temperature really didn't drop a whole lot ... but you went from sunny skies to threatening dark clouds almost at a moment's notice. It ... yeah, it sucked.
* For the record, I completely and totally supported going for it on 4th and 1 at our 41 in the first quarter. I personally believe you should NEVER punt on 4th and 1, unless you are inside your own 25. (Most NFL kickers are automatic, barring weather conditions, from 42 yards in, so going for 4th and 1 inside your own 25, if you fail, you're conceding 3 points).
* And for the record, I honestly thought the 3 quarters of football I watched yesterday, was the best coaching effort Todd Haley has delivered so far. The play calling was spot on (the execution wasn't however). Haley dialed in the common sense game plan yesterday, and I loved it. The only thing he effed up was the timeout with 1:07 to go in the half. Down 17-0, in field goal range on 4th down, BLEED THE CLOCK! We should have taken the play clock down to :02, which would have left about :30 on the clock. Then, even if you miss (as Succup did, from 44), the Chargers don't have enough time to drive the field (as they did) and add points onto the board (as they did).
* OK, halftime. I have to be fair here, in the interest of full disclosure. My absolute favorite moment each year, at a sporting event, and I hate to call it my "favorite moment" but man, it just gets to you ... is when someone from the Purdue Marching Band plays "Taps" at the Indy 500 prerace, as the names of the heroes, the best and brightest and most incredible among us, from Indiana who gave the ultimate sacrifice, play on the video boards. Its a simple ceremony. Its a guy with a trumpet, playing a very recognizable song, as names scroll.
And there isn't a sound in the joint. 350,000 plus fall instantly silent. Paying honor and tribute to, again, the best and the bravest and the finest among us. I have been to Indy a few times in my day ... and this NEVER fails to bring tears to my eyes.
Sunday, the Chiefs announced their plans to honor our soldiers, as they always do during the home game closest to Veterans Day. Its a neat tradition, its an awesome tradition actually, and its why I agree with Mitch Holtgus that the Chiefs should have the Monday nighter before Veterans Day in Arrowhead every year, without exception, without fail, like the Thanksgiving games in Dallas and Detroit, and the defending champ opening in the Thursday nighter at home. When you do something right, reward it.
Under Carl, these things were always emotional, always tore at the heart strings. Yesterday though, was taking it to a whole new level.
I'm pretty sure I've never cried because of a halftime performance. I know I've cried at halftime a couple times due to memories of those no longer with us. But I have never been moved to tears by the performance.
It opened with a group of Army troops carrying and unfolding a large US Flag near midfield. Cue Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue", just an awesome song. Cue other pro-military songs as well.
What I wasn't prepared for ... was listing on the new wrap-around screens the name of every US serviceman from the Chiefs Kingdom who gave his or her life last year. Nearly ten straight minutes of silent tribute. It kind of reminded me of "Taps" at Indy, in that most of the stadium just went silent, other than the occasional clapping when it was someone they recognized. I personally just stood, hands in my shorts, with tears running down my cheeks. I didn't move for the entire performance. Until the very end.
(And I can't believe I'm about to type this ...)
When the stealths flew over.
I just raised the right fist into the sky, started pumping it, joining the faithful in screaming "woo!" and cheering it on. I am on record as calling flyovers the "single biggest waste of taxpayer dollars known to man". Yesterday ... I'm glad it happened. (Although why we needed two of them ...)
* The rain really started falling after the halftime performance. Thankfully it wasn't brutally cold. I can deal with a semi-steady rain when its 60 degrees out.
* I texted everyone on my usual game text list at halftime yesterday that "Chiefs win 27-23". I thought the emotion of the halftime, the adjustments, and the Norv Turner factor would work in our favor.
* The first drive of the second half, as I texted a few folks, was Todd Haley at his finest. That was just a brilliant, brilliant drive for the Chiefs and their (at least on this site) beleagured play caller. Haley grasped the situation (have to get 7). He adapted the play calling for that. On 3rd down, we didn't have to get the first, because we'd already decided to go on 4th down. So on 3rd and 5, you got a trap play to LJ for 4. (And the follow-up handoff for first down). On 3rd and 8, you got a screen for 6. (And the follow-up first down). Just brilliant. Yesterday, for the first time, I was fine with Todd Haley as a head coach.
* Chiefs get it to 20-7 on a 4th down play to D Bowe in the corner of the end zone. After seeing the replay, I get why SD didn't challenge ... but in that spot, given how shaky the catch looked, how could Norv Turner NOT challenge? Momentum was starting to turn. Norv could have ended it before it ever had a chance. Dumb no-challenge on his part.
* The one moment you could sense the stadium was ready, was after D Bowe's TD, we forced the three and out and got the ball back at our own 45. There was some optimism, some hope. Sadly, the Chiefs ... well, played like the Chiefs of the last few years, and wound up punting. A pathetic wide-open RB dump-off to Darren Sproles for a 58 yard touchdown later, and it was lights out. I left after that. No sense sticking around in the rain for a team that lets a backup running back run untouched 58 yards for a touchdown.
* Not many highlights to report post game. Headed back to Russ and Mona's, watched most of the Cowboys game. Sat in the hot tub for a while -- I'd forgotten how sweet the hot tub feels when its raining and 50 outside. I used to love to sit in the old hot tub when it was raining or snowing. It always felt amazing. It still does.
* Most amazingly ... I made it into work on a Monday after a game for the first time this year. Only to find an email from my old boss, informing me that "deadbeat ex roommate" got married this weekend, and asking if I went.
Uuh, that would be a no. Even if I'd been invited, I wouldn't have gone. I'll just simply state on this blog, as I did in my email reply, that I believe in karma. I believe, as the Beatles sang to close out the final album they ever released, that "in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make". I believe that someday, "deadbeat ex roommate" will get out of life what he deserves from it. Until that happens, I guess I just wait to spit in his coffin at the funeral. Somehow, I doubt I'll be the only one ready to hawk a loogie in his direction when that day arrives ...
No comments:
Post a Comment