Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. After watching the Super Bowl last Sunday, it has been an interesting week to view the fallout. I know that Patriot fans will find this loss difficult to accept as this was a chance to repay the Giants for derailing the near season of perfection in 2008. That was the season that should have been for New England, not this year. The Patriots will always have a punchers chance as long as Tom Brady is behind center, but Bill Belichick will watch this game tape and realize that the Giants have something that New England no longer has...play makers on defense. If you retrace New York's trail to the Super Bowl, you have to be impressed. The Giants had to defeat the Packers and 49ers to get to the Patriots. This Giant team somehow found a way to play its best football when it mattered most. What I find funny is that if Dallas had taken care of their business as they should have, Tom Coughlin would have reportedly been looking for a new job. Instead, he is now celebrated in New York. What a strange game today's NFL is. 

I read a very interesting piece by Bill Simmons today. If you have read anything by Simmons, you know that he is all about Boston. I respect what he writes as he does not try to hide the fact that he is a Boston fan. Simmons also is honest with what he writes. He did not sugar coat this Patriot loss. He acknowledged how painful it was to watch New England lose to the Giants again. In fact, he could not even write until the day after the game. He asked the question that many fans have asked...why does this matter so much to me? I love this question because it is the essence of being a fan. Simmons correctly concludes that watching your team lose a big game provides something nothing else can...a feeling that a fan of any age can share exactly the same way. You replay the game in your mind and see the safety, the fumble negated by 12 men on the field and yes the dropped pass by Welker. These big plays become "something of a sports tatoo." Wow, is that ever right? As a Cowboy fan, I can tell you the plays that cost Dallas a championship much clearer than I can the plays that won the big games. The pass by Montana to Clark. Jackie Smith's dropped pass in the end zone and yes, the bull shit interference call vs the Steelers. The losses hurt and they hurt for a long time. But, I will say that the losses are what make victory taste so sweet. I have little time for fans that quickly turn on their team when things don't go the way they want. Tom Brady is HOF QB and is not done. Wes Welker has made a career of making clutch catches. To turn your back on these guys is ridiculous. If not for a sprained ankle this game might have turned out completely different. Of course, San Francisco fans can think of a few special teams plays that might have had their guys in a parade this week instead of the Giants. So, you Patriots fans do like Simmons does...acknowledge on SB Sunday Eli was slightly better and the right team won...and that it kills him. This is what a real fan feels.

So, I take it Madonna was not a big half time hit this year? To be honest, I have become accustomed to a lame Super Bowl halftime, so I grabbed some grub. Lip syncing? Birds flying? I have a suggestion for next year's half time entertainment:

I am sorry, but this just makes me laugh my ass off...

Ahhh...to hell with it. Let's just have Clapton play every year...

Tuesday was the first baseball game for my son's high school baseball team. I don't know if the full moon is a good or bad thing, but it was surely cool...

Even though this game was just a scrimmage, not all appreciated their picture being taken. WTF Dad?

For an early February scrimmage, the turn out was not terrible.

Although the temperature was above 50, the north wind made blankets a popular option.

I don't get many opportunities to get in a picture, so I take advantage of any opportunity. Jr. smiles for his Mom...

So, the Super Bowl is done and you don't feel like basketball? Although it is still a few weeks before pitchers and catchers report, baseball has been going on in another part of the world. That is right, Winter Baseball. For you TIger fans you will be happy to know that your boy Andy Dirks tore it up for the Dominican Republic. He has achieved quite a following this winter and is known as El Gringo or simply, “Ondy-der,” There are two type of MLB players that head south for winter baseball...those that are requested to go by their GM and those that want to play baseball. Dirks has apparently embraced the game as he helped the Dominican team to the championship. One of these days, I am going to head south to catch some baseball Dominican Republic style...then head north to take in spring training.

I suppose we all do dumb things, right? Hopefully, most of us don't fall to the place that Knowshon Moreno found himself recently. For starters, Moreno has a vanity license plate that reads SAUCED. Strike one. Driving 70 through a construction are with a posted speed of 45...strike two. Of course, the officer that pulled Moreno over decided to give the Bronco a sobriety test...strike three. Drunk, speeding with SAUCED on your license plate is clearly not the work of a bright individual. Of course, not having insurance is not a good thing either. Strike four? Moreno is scheduled to be arraigned on March 2nd...best of luck with that defense Knowshon.

Congrats to Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan. They had a son recently. What makes this interesting? Their son's name is Exton. I thought that this was a rather odd name until I started looking at a few other famous names. As a parent, why would you do this to your kid?

Audio Science, the son of actress Shannyn Sossamon and kickboxing instructor Dallas Clayton
Moxie Crimefighter, the daughter of Penn Jillette and his wife, Emily
Pilot Inspektor, the son of Jason Lee and his wife, Beth
Kal-El, the son of Nicolas Cage and his wife, Alice Kim
Speck Wildhorse, the son of John Mellencamp and Elaine Irwin
Sparrow James Midnight, the son of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden
Bluebell Madonna, the daughter of Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and Sacha Gervasi
Banjo Patrick, the son of Rachel Griffith and Andrew Taylor
Kyd Miller, the son of David Duchovny and Tea Leoni
Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q, the son of Bono and Ali Hewson
Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha, the son of Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa
Daisy Boo and Poppy Honey, the daughters of Jamie Oliver and wife Jools Norton
Reignbeau, the daughter of Ving Rhames and Deborah Reed
Jermajesty, the son of Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra
Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen and Moon Unit, the daughters of Frank Zappa (who also named his sons Dweezil and Ahmet)

That is all I have for this week, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey:

"Somebody told me it was frightening how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared."

"Even though he was an enemy of mine, I had to admit that what he had accomplished was a brilliant piece of strategy. First, he punched me, then he kicked me, then he punched me again."

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave few deep thoughts of your own...

Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. Well, after a few days last week in the brush country of Laredo, I am back in the River City. I am not sure if you have ever been to south Texas, but it is a unique place. It is known for big deer, oil and rattlesnakes. Everything down there either sticks you or bites you, but there is something about the isolated harshness that appeals to me. I understand that hunting is not for everyone, but you would love the jalapeno and cheese venison sausage that I have now! It is always a treat to spend a few days out of the lights of the city with friends.

It was not that we were exactly "roughing" it. The ranch house is awesome, it has a commercial kitchen and 8 bedrooms and bathrooms. It was indeed a fun trip.

After a year of football, we are finally down to the last week. To be honest, I will be watching the game, but I have no rooting interest. There is a trend that I have watched in the playoffs that could prove a clue to this years winner. In this season of high scoring offense, it has been the teams with the best defenses that have prevailed. Detroit, New Orleans and Green Bay scored big during the regular season, but the playoffs proved the old axiom about winning with defense still to be true. Tom Brady has proven his championship mettle many times before, but this Patriot team is built differently. Julian Edelman is an okay player, but do you really think he matches up well with any of the Giant receivers? The weakness of the Patriots has been their secondary all season. It is a tribute to Brady and his offensive teammates that they have been able to overcome this shortcoming all season. Of course, then there is Belichick. With two weeks to prepare, who knows what he will have planned for the Giants. As I imagine this game, a Giant victory is what I see. But, I was listening to a bit of sports radio earlier and I found it interesting that in the last 10 meetings between the Pats and Giants, each have won 5 games. The average difference in score is something like 4 points. Both of these QB's are very good at winning late, so this should be an entertaining game.

Of course, the average fan will be tuning in to watch the commercials. Hopefully, we will see a few like this:

Or perhaps this one?

I have been digging the music since Norman had his guitar blog. Here is my music spot...

There is a bonus acoustic track on this one...Eric Johnson.

I know that many of us are not too keen on the direction that the NBA has taken in recent years. There is one thing about the NBA that I have enjoyed this year. The Clippers have been bad forever. They are still bad, but in a good sense now. You have probably seen this incredible dunk by Blake Griffin, but I had it to add to my blog:

Hello Mr. Perkins meet Blake Griffin! Lebron was so impressed that he gave Griffin big props. Lebron tweeted something like Griffin is a beast and is the best dunker in the game. So of course, Stephen A. Smith has to open his annoyingly big mouth to proclaim that it was a good dunk, but that Lebron is still better. Where did Stephen A. Smith come from anyway? Suddenly he is the expert on basketball? Did this diminutive loud mouth play ball? Damn, I get tired of this guy. By the way, you are wrong Stephen A. Smith...Griffin is #1 in my book.

I know that football season is not quite over, but last Saturday was the beginning of the high school baseball season in Texas. The Warriors always begin the first day of practice with Warrior Day. We serve BBQ, sell hats and jerseys and there is a hit a thon. A cold front rolled in Friday night, so the cold north wind blowing in derailed many long balls. I was proud of Jr. though, he managed to tie for the top spot with two long balls. Of course, Texas signee Ben Johnson was also hitting well.

Bart Bratcher has been coaching at Westwood since the school opened...

Blake goes yard...

Ben joined him...

That's all I have for this week, but I will leave you a bit of Jack Handey to ponder:

"Playing dead not only comes in handy when face to face with a bear, but also at important business meetings."

"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then, on the way out, slam the door."

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own...