Headlights On A Dark Road 3432
Saturday, February 23, 2008-5:50 A.M.
This blog was actually too large for AOL's blog server to accept, but you can read it at my MySpace page www.myspace.com/rabidralph or at www.comedysoapbox.com under "blogs."
Enjoy it, and stay warm.
Running Down A Dream 3346
February 4, 2008-4:15 A.M.
Some late-night thoughts about Super Bowl 42...
First off, I'm a Buffalo Bills fan. I have no great love for either the Patriots or Giants, as a matter of fact, I hate 'em both. The Giants stole the Bills' Super Bowl thunder back in 1990, and I've never forgiven them. Still, I had to root for them tonight over those fucking Patriots.
If New York had lost the game tonight, no one would have been surprised. They've been playing over their heads all through the playoffs, knocking off teams like Dallas and Green Bay like they were nothing, and even giving Tampa Bay the elbows 'n knuckles in their own stadium. If New York had lost and the Patriots had won, it would have shut up those old codgers left over from the Miami Dolphins 1972 team, a team that went undefeated on the backs of a soft schedule and frankly, I never regarded with anything but indifference. I would have taken cold comfort in that loss, *if* it happened.
The Patriots didn't win, though, and it tainted their year. The undefeated regular season was won on a very Dolphinesque soft schedule with a few challenges thrown in, even from these self-same New York Giants who played their hearts out trying to win that regular-season finale. But if they *had* won, the season still would have been tainted by the so-called "spygate," the taping of New York Jets coaches' defensive signals during the first game of the season. The NFL destroyed the tapes and fined coach Bill Bellichik and the Patriots a bunch of money and a first-round draft pick.
I will not go into whether or not I feel that punishment was just or unjust, enough or too lenient, because it is not my job to decide those things. It is the commissioner of football's job. But when we speak about judgement, I believe that there is only one judgement that counts, and that's the judgement of God.
The Bible says "Your sin will find you out." It's in the book of Numbers, chapter 32, verse 23, and basically, it means that you can sin against the Lord or your fellow man, and hope that you are never revealed as being the committer of dastardly acts, but the Lord is watching and you will be punished accordingly.
I find it fitting and a testimony to my faith that the Patriots didn't win the game tonight. They were blessed with victory after victory, except for the game that meant the most. And their sin has found them out. They will all get the loser's share of the money, but they also will suffer for a year knowing that they were on the brink of something amazing, unprecedented and wonderful, and they lost it all. Even coach Bellichik, who looked particularly hobo-like in his cutoff hoodie sweatshirt, walked off the field before the game was complete. He showed himself to be what he is; a small man, an unsportsmanlike man, a man to whom winning is everything and fair competition is held in little regard.
I am a Liberal and Liberals are often chastised for the way we conduct ourselves. Liberals are the sort of folks who give kids medals for participating in sports, even if they didn't win, to bolster their self-esteem. And I'm totally o.k. with that approach. Winning shouldn't mean crushing the loser of the contest. You won, you don't need to run up the score or humiliate anyone. That shows a disdain for your fellow man, a lack of respect, and it's base and degrading. I guess that Liberals generally don't have the killer instinct, if the last 30 years of Presidential politics mean anything. We try to play fair, even in the midst of dirty tricks that are usually quite effective (see Karl Rove and pretty much everything he's ever done). But can anyone with any moral instinct conduct themselves otherwise? I really don't think so.
I'll continue to conduct myself with the core principles of a fair fight, an even contest and being gracious in both victory and defeat, and I'll raise my daughter to think the same way. And if I never win, never rise to the summit of achievment because I rely only on my talent and not on dirty tricks, short cuts, favors or anything else that provides an undeserved edge, then I'll still lay my head on the pillow at night and sleep soundly because I know that there is no sin waiting in the dark, under the bed, waiting for the harsh light of judgement.
Congratulations to the New York Giants and your fans. Eli Manning is a good guy, a clean competitor and a credit to the game of football, and he deserved to win and to be called the MVP of the game. And to Patriots fans, I wish you no ill will, I instead pity you and leave you to sulk, licking your wounds like a Siamese cat under the living room sofa. If I were you, I would vote with my dollars to have another coach installed, a man who could restore pride to a franchise that frankly has the tools in place to be competitive for a very long time, without the aid of cheating or the leadership of a small, petty man.
Ralph Tetta
Rochester, NY
