Play a song for me!
I'm not sleepy, and there is no place
I'm going to!
Hey Mr. Tambourine man!
Play a song for me!
And in the jingle jangle morning?
I'll come following you!
Take me on a trip,
Upon your magic swirling ship!
All my senses have been stripped!
My toes? Too numb to step!
Waiting only for my boot heels?
To go wandering.
I'm ready to go anywhere!
I'm ready for to fade,
Into my own parade --
Cast your dancing spell my way!
I promise?
To go under it ...
Hey Mr. Tambourine man!
Play a song for me!
I'm not sleepy, and there is no place
I'm going to!
Hey Mr. Tambourine man!
Play a song for me!
And in the jingle jangle morning?
I'll come following you! ..."
-- "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan.
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Picking The Chiefs This Season.
Straight Up: 3-0-0.
Against the Spread: 3-0-0.
As Upset / Week: 1-0-0.
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It's been five years since I set foot in the city a mile high above sea level.
I am here, the evening before one epic regular season game between the team I love irrationally, and the team I hate irrationally, at the lovely Clarion Denver Central hotel, chosen because (and this is not a joke) it is supposed to be the most 420 friendly hotel in all of Denver proper.
(You'd think I chose it ... but for once? You'd be completely wrong.)
I can confirm, that if this place ain't the most 420 friendly hotel in Denver proper ... it's gotta be in the top ten.
For starters, they have a 420 Tree outside. That is not a joke. They have a 420 Tree, where guests grab a stone and wish their best, uuh, wishes, upon said, uuh, stone, at the base of said tree.
You doubt me?
(image credit: me, via my iPhone 8 something.)
Secondly, the elevators and half the floors reek like it was Stubbs ten years ago * . I know -- this is a great thing, right? 31 year old me is drooling, literally drooling, over knowing 41 year old me would be spending a couple nights in a hotel that doesn't give a f*ck if you like to light up every now and then for purely recreational use. (Although in fairness to me, next time you see me, ask to try on my glasses. My eyesight is abysmal. I probably could get a legal card, if my fine home state approves the ballot measure in 37 days.
Thirdly, we've got a game to play.
And this one is huge.
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(*: as the one person you will ever know who does not believe in coincidence ... I do not find it ironic in any way, shape or form, that the tenth anniversary of meeting the "those people" fan formerly known on this site as "The Chica" ... is tomorrow, as her "those people" and my Chiefs do battle inside the eighth layer of hell itself. If anything? I think it's perfect.)
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In the words of the "Voice of the Chiefs", Mitch Holtgus: "for all intents and purposes", the AFC West can be decided tomorrow night.
If the Chiefs win, they will be two clear of both the "Super" Chargers and those people ... with divisional wins against both, in their home stadiums.
Furthermore, if the Chiefs win, they will not only be the last unbeaten in the AFC, but the next three weeks gives this team an opportunity it is rarely afforded: they can all but end the AFC home field race, before Halloween.
The Chiefs next three after tomorrow night are vs Jaguars / at Patriots / vs Bengals. Save for Miami, those are your three AFC teams with the best record other than the Chiefs, that are a viable threat to win 11 games and get a bye. And Miami ain't a viable threat to win 11 and get a bye; they're just the only one of those four teams, the Chiefs don't control their own destiny against, over the next four weeks.
But before last rites are performed upon the AFC ... the Chiefs have to survive this contest first.
And it might take an exorcism, to pull this one off.
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Two things have surprised me here in denver so far:
(a) how many Chiefs fans are here, and
(b) how confident those people's fans are, that we will win.
(a) is awesome.
(b) terrifies me.
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Last year, in the Monday Nighter at Arrowhead, a lot of the same sentiment reigned. Namely, "it cannot possibly be this obvious and this easy, right?"
I feel the same way tonight, about thirty minutes before I pass out and get a solid herbal-induced ten hours of sleep.
It cannot possibly be this obvious.
And there's no way, it can possibly be this easy.
Or can it?
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When the news came on here after the 49ers / Chargers game was over, the lead story was the Rockies forcing a one game "winner gets a bye / loser's going to Miller Park (probably)" play-in game tomorrow, at 2pm Mountain Time. (Note: thank God that game is at Chavez Ravine; I cannot imagine what a nightmare tomorrow would be, if the game was across the freeway at Coors Field.)
This is gonna be one fun sports day out here, peoples and peepettes. The forecast isn't half shabby (81 and partly cloudy at kickoff; 30% chance rain during the game). The Rockies go at 2; their game should be going final as we're walking into Arrowhead West.
Given the epic games that went down today (Bengals / Falcons; Browns / raiders; Eagles / Titans; Texans / Colts ** ), why not stage one more?
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(**: for the record, I would have punted and taken the tie ... but I totally get why the Colts went for it.)
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I think this is going to be a high-scoring contest, that resembles the second half and overtime of the epic game two years ago on Thanksgiving Weekend.
I think both teams are going to give up 30 plus. I predict we will see fewer than 5 combined punts, and I predict we will see fewer than 3 combined turnovers.
I also predict the team with the ball last, will win it.
* Chiefs (-3 1/2) 42, at those people 34.
If you're in this (hellhole) of a metropolitan community, we're tailgating in Lot M tomorrow. I'm sitting in Section 117, Row 37. Feel free to swing by.
And wherever y'all are tomorrow, Arrowhead Nation?
Be loud.
I'll be doing my part, inside the eighth layer of hell itself. Just do yours as well ...
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