Sunday, January 9, 2011

BloggeRhythms 1/9/2011

Just rechecked the start of yesterday's blog, to be sure I included the word "if" when describing the play of the Seattle Seahawks, and, thank goodness, I did. Because when I wrote those words it was midway through the first quarter, and I truly believed there was no way that team could beat an egg, much less last year's Super Bowl winners, unless they either woke up or traded away for a team of totally new personnel.

And then, bang! All of a sudden it was like Jekyll and Hyde, a new team did show up, but it was the same players. Now, I don't know what Pete Carroll says to those guys, or feeds them or whatever, but somehow or other he did it again. Just like he pushed the Trojans at USC to great football, he's now doing it in Seattle. Of course, I've been around for a very long while, and I surely know it was only one game. Nonetheless, this is the NFL and footballs always bounce kind of funny, so who knows what'll happen down the line?

Then, later last night there was a true test of medical science, because the Jets played the Indianapolis Colts and their nemesis, Peyton Manning.

A few years ago I had some major work done on my heart. It was performed at North Shore University Hospital in Manhassett, NY by a surgeon reputed to be one of the best on the planet. And I surely know, simply from the way I now function that this expert lived up to his reputation, because I've completely recovered to the extent that unless you really knew what I went through, you'd never, ever guess. Because I'm better than 100%.

But the only tests I really put my heart to, and its various working parts, are the day to day things most people go through routinely. So, like everyone else, I drive a car, I do lots of chores, I walk a lot, sometimes I even jog and trot, I play golf (which isn't really saying much, sportswise, but more healthful and stressful than laying on a couch) I even toss baseballs, footballs and basketballs around now and then and have absolutely no trouble handling any of that at all.

But...then there's the Jets.

And as I've written in many of these entries lately, for some reason, these guys just can't go out and put a game away like they're supposed to. Just about every contest comes down to the last couple of minutes, if fans are lucky, or more often -down to the last few seconds. And yesterday was certainly no exception.

After a lackluster first half, Gang Green came back as the game progressed and even captured a slim lead. Then, with two and a half minutes left in the game and up by two, they surrendered the ball to the Colts. Now, you don't have to know an awful lot about pro football to realize that when Peyton Manning has the football and more than two minutes on the clock, the game is virtually over. Because he's going to march his team down the field, methodically pick the opponent apart and score a touchdown like he always does.

But, this time he fell short and had to settle for a 50 yard field goal, no easy chore, but Adam Vinatieri kicked it through, putting the Colts ahead, 16-14, with 53 seconds to play.

Then, down by two, less than a minute left and on the opponents home field, Mark Sanchez played the most incredible few seconds of his young life. After a big run-back of the Colt's kickoff, three perfect passes hit Sanchez's mark, the last a leaping grab by Braylon Edwards to the Indy 14 yard line. When Nick Folk made a field goal from there, the Jets had themselves a one point victory with no time left on the clock.

As for me, by that time I was incoherent. And although I'd seen this team come back from the jaws of death however many times, this one was over the top. To say I was stunned was the understatement of the century, I was flat out speechless, in shock. And that's when I knew that that surgeon of mine was an absolute genius. Because if my new aortic valve can take that kind of stress and not blow out, it's going to take an elephant gun to croak me.

That's it for today folks.

Adios.

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