My First Entry of 2022...

 Greetings again, and Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a safe and healthy Christmas holiday. Mine went well for the most part. Sadly, my sisters had to put down our last remaining animal, as Ginger kitty crossed the rainbow bridge on New Year's Day.

The end of 2021 was, to be quite honest, a bummer. Two larger than life personalities, John Madden and Betty White, both passed away. Mrs. White, who was just two weeks shy of turning 100, was loved by EVERYONE, and late Saturday night, NBC aired a rerun of her hosting "Saturday Night Live" from May of 2010 in her honor. I remember her from the days when reruns of Mary Tyler Moore (who we lost last year) would air on TV when I was a little kid. Then as the voice as the nanny on "Muppet Babies." Then, of course, "The Golden Girls." She was a national treasure who aged like a fine wine, and she'll never be forgotten. 

Mr. Madden was also universally loved. For some, it was him as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, to people like myself, it was as the preeminent color analyst on NFL telecasts on CBS with Pat Summerall, and later FOX then ABC and NBC with Al Michaels. To others, it was the name of arguably the greatest video gaming franchise in history, and to pretty much everyone, it was a pitchman for Outback Steakhouse, Miller Lite, Dr. Pepper, and BOOM!! Tough actin' Tinactin (spray for athlete's foot). He's the main reason I and many others among Gen X became football fans, and quite possibly the reason the National Football League is the juggernaut that it is today well into the 21st century. Needless to say, he was an American icon. 

One quote of his that I've seen on various tributes on YouTube to him was during a 1994 game where he and Pat were covering the Dallas Cowboys, and Madden used the telestrator to show Troy Aikman's lack of facial hair. He then said, "when the going gets tough, quit." I seriously doubt that he would actually give that kind of advice when it comes to football, but SPEAKING OF WHICH...

A Mental Day in the NFL Yesterday

If anyone caught football highlights yesterday or even saw the least bit of sports news yesterday, you probably saw that Antonio Brown, embattled wide receiver who was playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had one of the most bizarre moments in league history. After refusing to enter the game with Tampa trailing 24-10 to the lowly New York Jets midway through the third quarter, Brown appeared to toss his pads to the ground, took off his shirt and gloves, then motioned to the crowd in the end zone before jogging into the locker room, getting a police escort out of town, never to be seen again at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. After the game, in which Tampa came back in dramatic fashion to beat the Jets 28-24, Bucs coach Bruce Arians stated bluntly that he was no longer with the team. 

However, it came to light this morning that Brown apparently had an ouchie regarding his ankle (he didn't practice all week leading up to the game), and supposedly Brown, who was already on thin ice with the Bucs, didn't want to risk further injuring his ankle. Last week in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers, Brown caught 11 passes for 101 yards. Also, Brown had several incentives in his contract totaling $1 million had he continued to play in the game. Which makes the whole situation even more ponderous. In any event, Arians booted Brown off the team on the spot. Brown then had his temper tantrum, was tried to be talked down from the ledge by fellow receiver Mike Evans, then stormed into the locker room.

THIS JUST IN...as I was taking my lunch break, Arians says that he wasn't injured after all, and that he cares about his well being. Hmmm. Many people have speculated that Brown has CTE and that a vicious hit in the 2015 AFC Wildcard Game from former NFL player and notorious head hunter Vontaze Burfict helped play a part in doing so, but whatever the case, hopefully Brown can finally get his mind right.

Have I Found My Human? Probably Not...

Received a DM on Twitter this weekend from someone who I've been fond of for a few years now. I kinda spilled my guts to her, which is something I don't really do to be honest. Her reply wasn't all too surprising given that we're only friends and nothing more (insert sad face). but then she said that she cared about me deeply, which is something I don't think I've ever heard from someone outside of family before. I mean good grief, I know I'm a bit awkward, but that really meant something to me; it sucks because she's in another part of the country. But it got me to asking, "have I finally met my human after all?" 🐴 

Dammit I wish I didn't suck with this issue.

Well anyway, that's what I wanted to say to start off 2022. Now I'll guess I'll go on Spotify and listen to Taylor Swift's "22." Until next time and as always...

More to come...

CT