Friday, January 28, 2005

A day late and a few sandwiches short...

Sorry, meant to get to this last night...

So, I got it backwards - the closer game was in Philly, the blowout was in Pittsburgh. Face it all you Steelers apologists out there - the black and gold might have passed and ran for more yards than the Pats, that doesn't mean Pitt dominated the game, had they done so, the Steelers wouldn't be sitting at home right now. The most important stats from that game aren't passing and rushing yards - turnovers, how did Pittsburgh convert in short yardage situations (4th and 1, 1st and goal from the 4, etc.), and most importantly, final score.
I'll concede that 41 - 27 isn't really a blow-out - cosmetically speaking - but that last Steelers TD was scored in garbage time.

If the Eagles play TO in spite of the doctor's refusal to clear him, then Philly clearly goes from one of the smartest, most fiscally responsible teams in the salary cap era to a bunch of idiots. If Philly truly believes in their system, and they believe the Owens has been the missing piece, then, logically, they should believe that they have a shot next year.

On Tuesday I'll break down why this Super Bowl won't resemble the two most recent Patriot victories.

Today I begin keeping a work-out diary as I train for my first Marathon ever - the Frederick Marathon here in Frederick, MD.
Day One lookback -
I ran track in HS. I was a sprinter, a quarter-miler to be precise. I achieved all-league honors several times, even qualified for the New York State Meet once as part of a relay team (didn't go). That was 17 years ago. In the last 18 years I have had my right knee scoped (for torn cartilege) and either torn or separated tendons in both of my ankles. Iknow...I'm an idiot (my wife already told me).
I started running again recently in an effort to shed some of the pounds that I put on in recent years, but I've always found exercise for the sake of staying in shape difficult. If there were some competitive goal - well, that's different.
So, when the publisher of the paper that I was working at asked for volunteers to run in the marathon , I was the first to respond.
As I typed my e-mailed response, I could hear, somewhere in the recesses of my mind, Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz at the end of Apocalypse Now uttering, "the horror, the horror..." Yesterday I got out on the road and ran six miles (about three to four miles more than I've been running recently). Somewhere shortly after mile three, I began to hear that voice again.
Ideally, after a month or two of intense training, I hope to stave off that voice until at least mile twelve.
Stay tuned for further updates.