"I Drink Beer"

"to clear my mind..."

**lol. not to celebrate overindulgence, as it were, though it is a bit unclear. This being after a New England Patriots game and all. One in which I had a career high of 2 spilt beers in one half of play. Understandably, it was the second half. I do not remember a previous incidence of spilt beer, including falling over a couch, beer in hand and not one drop wasted. There was one (sad) sack moment of me pouring a glass of wine on a guy's head. But that's wine. And after a play play, not a football game.**

**I'm of that time frame where bouncers would laugh at fake ID's, and as long as the hair color was okay so were you. I think. I never was of the officiating crew but they seemed to be motivated by number of players in the field, and the longer the hair the better.**

**I have fallen off a barstool. Which could count as a false start, but was totally unrelated to football or overindulgence or beer spilt. And it was in the theatre district of Boston, not a sports bar.**

**Maroney (39) had a good day today. And I do believe he counted an assist of one of the beer spills. So did Moss and Watson and Tully Hyphen. What I like about Tully Hyphen is, he lost his Super Bowl ring in the Providence Place Mall and it was returned to him. That's a kick, for sure.**

Getting back to beer. Here's the thing. I was finishing up a penny pendant this weekend, and listened to Dan Reeder's "Sweetheart" album.

Buying Beer on Credit

*And cheers to the bartender who let me do it.*

It involves the New England Patriots, of course. I watch the games from a comfortable spot, about the 5th or 6th stool from the end. You see, the T.V. is at a certain angle and my neck has a certain capacity of angle, and its best if the 2 are within consensus range. Throw in bad eyes and you've a particular choice of stool. Throw in a couple of brews some football and...

But I digress.

This Friday was good. I got my comfortably angled spot, good beer, and Brady the quarterback was connecting. When the Pats went hot they sliced through the Redskins like the Pats of 2008. This season could be good. I'm not totally concerned about the defense yet. I think it will take a few more games for the secondary to gel, and hopefully it will! And Brady's right shoulder? He had to do that. (Fall on it with arm extended like he was asking Haynesworth for a tip.) He was on orders from Bellichick. Last season they opened with not putting Brady's sore shoulder on the injury list for the first time in, what, years? And you saw what happened.* So in the interest of a healthy knee and healthy offense Brady's sore shoulder must soldier on.

Back to buying beer on credit. A fellow Pats watcher, J, is moving to Austin. He says he might get into watching the Texans. Which, I gotta admit is preferable to the Cowboys. And as a fellow football watching non-t.v. owner, he's at the whims of the bar stool occupying majority. They do say all sports are local.

Anyway. The beer was for beer, football (even if its the Texans) and fun. Cheers and good luck.

---------
*Brady's knee was injured in the first quarter of the first game he played not on the injury list as "probable" with a sore right shoulder.

Politics

The absorbing politics of sport, I hasten to qualify. I appreciate Brett Farve. Having watched him for less than maybe 2 quarters his entire humoungous career.... I can appreciate him with a clear and biased conscience. You see... nothing has buried New England's Spygate quite as efficiently as this Bacholerette episode. Every day I click on Yahoo's NFL and the New England Patriots aren't on the front smear. Yes they have decent odds of going 16-0 again. (I would plead clemency... from the base of my dirty fingernails and never-was-in-fashion T-shirt. Patriots? You do that again and you WILL owe me a beer. Kraft, listen up.) And they even have the best odds of winning the Super Bowl. (Last I looked... and I quickly averted my eyes.)

But I'm excited... in a quiet let's-just-sneak-up-on-them-this-time type mode.

I enjoy watching the pre-season games. Though, this being Red Sox nation also, its sometimes difficult in a bar this time of year. Last year I was psyched... I had my rookies to root for... hoping they made the team.... I wowed at the new offensive weapons and would wonder if Moss could really be that good. This year is different. I do have rookies I am rooting for. But more... I hope the team does well. I hope... that... ya know... maybe there's still some of those 19-0 T-shirts available in South America. And I could do with a free beer. A new shirt? Last year's model is fine.

And to start the pre-season... To start a season that recognizes the glory of not worrying about, for a few hours (hahahaha) every week, life details like war and work and automobile repair. To not worry about the much more violent politics of the political kind, healthcare reform and environmental challenges. To instead focus on the fine art of fandom... and its related beer consumption. Here is a video (I switched videos after looking at some of the comments! perhaps it will help explain football a bit! lol!)

Flesh Colored Kaleidoscope

(That is what is seen when sitting in a well lit room after drinking too many beers while watching a football game (!) and holding one's head in one's hands... you can see out through the cracks between the fingers and admire the way gravity is keeping things relatively still.)

They say a parent giving a kid a pet is giving the kid their first lesson in heartbreak and loss. Weelll. So goes some football games. The Patriots, honestly, have been pretty near perfect in their opiate-like status. I am rather shocked at how bad I felt. It is just a game.... but no it isn't. With Super Tuesday and politics and global warming and the economy... I wish I vicariously held the euphoria of a Super Bowl win. I'm experiencing withdrawal right now. Man. That Pats locker room must've been a mess. If I were to write a post game speech for BB it would go something like this:

"That was a sh*t tough game. We lost. We lost after playing the full game with everyone doing their part...... a grueling game after a grueling season..... (the ".... " is for BB to ad lib hopefully better than I.).... The most extraordinary record breaking season I have ever witnessed, and am proud to be a part of. You are not perfect. We are not perfect. But you never stopped playing you never stopped... and we are pretty damn good. Thank you for the experience. See you this time, next year, this time we'll get the trophy."

Oh BB can mention that the Giants played well if he must. And I'm sure he would give a much better speech. The only locker room speech I remember is one a basketball coach gave our team before a game against Mountainburg. She said "Mountainburg beat Westfork." Westfork was the only team that could beat us. We went on the court hyped with fear and blew them away. (Well, I went to the bench, hyped with fear...) After the totally lopsided game in which even I played, the coach said "I lied."

Brews and Self Restraint and Football

I'm not a big fan of self restraint. I think its because it takes so long for the cogs in my brain to mesh into any coherency that when should if they do and action occurrs.... slowing things down with restraint is rather redundant. However. I had too many brews last night. And I really am too old to be a bobble headed doll.

But the Pats game was FUN! I thought the Bengals played pretty well. The Pats... I would say the defense did okay? The score says they did okay. As an inebriated spectator, I wasn't so sure. And the offense looked spectacular occassionally and other times... Isn't the Bengals defense suppose to be not that great? I'd have to look up how many times the Pats punted... only once or twice. It seemed to be more...

The highlights were... Moss' catch. Does that guy play or does that guy play. And the reverse thing that they got 27 yards on. How many times does that happen? So there was some fun stuff... The NFL season is a long one. Hope the Pats continue their winning ways... GO PATS!

The NFL and I

I know that beer plays a large part in this.

At no time in my life, past 14 years of age that is, have I ever been under the delusion of intellectualism. And for me, believe me, it would be a delusion. Occassionally I read books that excersice the few feeble brain cells rattling about in my cranium. But having read Ulysses twice (okay, in a book group) I figure I'm good for the next couple of years, at least.

But I go to a bar (don't own a T.V.), drink beer, and watch football once a week. I really don't have the patience for more. But this, excuse me or not, is perfect. I enjoy this and am not quite sure why. Yes, I think Vince Wilfork of the New England Pats has a beautiful smile. But he ain't my hottie. Tom Brady, a good quarterback and the perfect Belichick quarterback, is more admirable to me for the way he stays with the game and is always working at it. His Hollywood looks are a bit of a turn off. (? a character flaw, I'm sure.) Watching beefcakes bounce around in tights is fun, no doubt about it. But my favorite players are the ones that stay in there. Troy Brown's stripping the ball out of a Charger's hands last year was just that. Staying with the play. Also seeing Wilfork halfway down the field... The kicker making a tackle....(Gostowski)... A solid catch a good tackle the offenive line creating a good pocket....the defense stopping the opponents cold at the 1 yard line...

Those are the things I think about while watching... and are definitely a big part of the attraction. But there is also... hearing about (yet another) bomb in a Baghdad market. I protested the war even before it started. I actually thought at the time that something could be done to stop a bad idea... And I'm not young.

Perhaps it is the combo. A bomb, beer, and beefcakes bouncing. Somewhere in there is what makes me enjoy the NFL. I've heard it said that the reason people like to write about sports is because its easy. Maybe that extends to the watching of it. Like a nice fall breeze, and beer.

Regarding the NFL Patriots

Who cares. In the background I'm listening to NPR cerebralizing over blogging. Now, I have read some fantastic blogs. And forgotten every single one (no not really but I have a point to make). I don't forget reading Tale of Two Cities while in Quito, Equador, or talking about Steinbeck with some CRAZY Canandian in Panachel, Guatamala. There is some great beer in Guatemala for all you NFL fans. And in Fiji. Man do you guys got some traveling to do....
As with all those cell phone crash drivers, I've taken up one neural track with another. How to listen to others while talking to oneself.... (present difficulties referring to...
Who cares.
I do re: Pats. (that's the title, anyway) I wanted to vent about Randy Moss. What I want to say, to me and the keyboard, is. I don't think individual desires and society expectation can ever be factored out. Simplified, shut up youse guys. Look at it. Do all families have a black sheep or do all families need a black sheep? People respond to expectations. There is something way to facile about how we deal with one another. I've heard it said that if you enter the public forum expect the the pubic discourse. But. If I were to say anything to RM I'd refer him to a blog I caught a few weeks ago talking about deliberate practice. A blog, mind you. (by Friendsvangard..? just to help out any anal retentives out there.) It was talking about success, and practice, and what made for success. Bottom line, if you want the touchdown do it all the time. Practice delibrately.

However. There's the individual thing and the organizational thing. Psychology. Whose playing footsie and why. I think the Pats played footsie last season. This season I expect them to go all out. Kinda like redefining the line. And RM? well. um. I wish the guy well. The videos I've seen are great. Pure talent. He is an artist. Its just, the deliberate practice thing. (Wes Welker apparently read that blog.) And how can any individual with a sense of self ignore massive BS? It'd take a Zen master. Hey, RM....

And another Pats thing. Regarding TB, our incredibly sucessful QB? His self absorbion? Give it a rest. Like, who do you know says all the right things all the time, and who isn't self absorbed to some extent? What contorted value system are we holding athletes too? (or not to for that matter). He is not, from what I've heard, more self absorbed, than 90% of the folks I know and I don't want to know the other 10%! Geeze people. You're paying him to win, and he and the rest of the Pats do that very freaking well. Quit nit picking. Were he to be involved in dog fighting I'd say call out the....

Anyway. Good night and buy more jewelry! That is, StoneyCharms.etsy.com. (Other jewelry dosen't count. We're going for the touchdown here...)