Snow Day, Super Bowl and taking care of one's own.

Today I got to hear some of the sweetest words one can hear in the Midwest.

Snow Day.

It was only the second time in my life I got a snow day. The first was back in January of 1985. Those of you in or from San Antonio know exactly what I am talking about. That weekend 26 years ago where the city shut down and we kids had a blast. 13 inches of snow over those two days. I remember walking out of my house like I was stepping out of a spaceship onto the surface of some distant planet. You walk out into the snow and jump into it...then you remember that its frozen water! Up here in mid-Michigan, snow is a way of life. Its pretty at first, it makes the holidays specials but by February, you're done with it. The snow melts, gets dirty and slushy and makes everything wet for weeks...Pure Michigan. Even though folks up here are better suited for it, occasionally it comes in fast and heavy enough to shut things down and last night and today was one of those times. Things will go back to normal tomorrow but a snow day was fun and relaxing.

Celebrated my birthday this week (thank you all again for all the well wishes) and if the birthday has happened, that means one of the biggest days of the year is not far behind. That unofficial national holiday known as Super Bowl Sunday. Hard to believe that tickets to the first game back in 1967 were $6, $10 and $12. That game was also the only one to be covered by two networks and was the only game not to sell out. The best ticket this year? $600. Yeah...good luck finding that price!

This year's game features two of the oldest and most successful franchises in the NFL. Green Bay, one of the leagues original teams, has won the most championships with 12 dating back to its first one in 1929 (yes kids, there was football before the Super Bowl)the Packers have been to four previous Super Bowls, winning three. (Here's a way to fool your friends...the Super Bowl name didn't come into being until SB III so technically, the Pack has been to three Super Bowls (31, 32 and 45) and 2 "AFL-NFL Championship Games" what we now call SB's 1 and 2) Pittsburgh came into the league in 1933 but didn't enjoy any title success until Super Bowl IX in 1974 and has six wins in seven Super Bowls. The Steelers run is even more impressive to me since it has been 6 championships in 36 years. Somewhere, Pam Murphy is very proud of me.

This game has the makings of a classic. You have the #1 and #2 rank defenses, two pro bowl quarterbacks, two guys with crazy hair, the superlatives go on and on. Both teams have had to overcome major adversity to arrive at this point. Pittsburgh had to deal with another round of Ben Roethlisberger's bad judgement this time ending up with Big Ben sitting for four games while Green Bay has had to deal with a deluge of injuries. The Pack has put 16 players this season on Injured Reserve not to mention several other players missing various amounts of games. Aaron Rodgers even missed a game and a half with a concussion and to the team's credit, they have had players step up and help Green Bay win. In fact, they are the hottest team in the league right now winning their last 5 games including three playoff wins, all away from the Frozen Tundra.

So who's gonna win? Well, here is a guarantee...there will be a lot of yellow confetti on the field when its over. Ok, ok so both teams wear yellow....my prediction is...coming later.

The other big story this week in the NFL is the labor situation. The current Collective Barganing Agreement between the league and the players union is set to expire in March and both sides are posturing for a fight. One of the biggest items in dispute is the idea to get rid of two preseason games and replace them with two regular season games and therefore going to an 18 game schedule. The league wants it, the players don't. There are safety concerns in the game as it is right now, an 18 game schedule would heighten those concerns. Player response to the idea has been vocal and loud. This week, a story in GQ Magazine came to light that spoke with several NFL players about safety concerns. Steelers receiver Hines Ward, never one to shy away from an opinion had this to say:

They're so hypocritical sometimes. They came out with these new helmets that are supposed to stop concussions. If they care so much about our safety, why don't they mandate that we wear the new ones? If they're so worried about what concussions will do to us after our careers, then guarantee our insurance for life. And if you're going to fine me for a hit, let the money go to veteran guys to help with their medical issues. To say the league really cares? They don't give a f**k about concussions. And now they want to add on two extra games? Are you kidding? Come on, let's be real. Now that these new guidelines are in place, you'll see more and more guys lying to doctors to stay on the field. Contracts aren't guaranteed. If a guy's contract is coming up and he gets his bell rung—and if he has a concussion, he'll have to leave the game and maybe miss another one—trust me, he ain't tellin' nobody. Look at [49ers running back] Brian Westbrook. He was an elite player who had concussion issues, and he struggled to find work after the Eagles cut him. Guys saw that. I'm telling you, if you're a guy on the bubble or playing for your next contract, you're going out there and jeopardizing your life to get that payday.

Amen.

I love the NFL. It's the one sport that, to paraphrase my boy Arch, even though my team may not be in the playoffs, I still enjoy watching. I was born and raised on football and I know it can be violent. The NFL knows it too and they make money off of it. They fine players for hits and try to legislate the violence out of the sport...then turn around and take those same hits, put them on a DVD and charge 9.95 for it. That is hypocricy at its finest. You can't tell a guy he's wrong, but then say its ok for you to use his action to profit.

One of the other issues on the table is the league's treatment of its former players. It is deplorable. The older these former players get, the more that the wear and tear of an NFL career adds to health problems. Some former players qualify for an NFL pension but it is usually less than $1,000 a month and as we all know, health care costs continue to go up. The league just does not care. For them it's out of sight, out of mind. They figure that the old guys will eventually die so we can just wait them out. These men gave their all for the game they loved and did so in a time where medical technology and player salaries were not at the level that we see today. What is even sadder is some of the current players feelings about the men who came before them, the ones who laid the foundation of the game the young guys enjoy today. Drew Brees said that the older players “They took their pensions early because they never went out and got a job. They’ve had a couple divorces. And that’s why they don’t have money. And they’re coming to us to basically say, ‘Please make up for my bad judgment.’”

Wow. Talk about bad judgement...making that statement was a great example.

Those "deadbeats" help build the league that currently employs you and you drop a load of crap like that? Hard to believe you are a Texan. Try and remember what you said when you are asking for money for your foundation.

A recent study on NFL players who have and currently abuse pain medication, 75 percent of them stated that the pain is unbearable. They also stated that their daily activities were affected by the pain, and that they could not perform their daily activities in the proper manner because of it. 70 percent of them stated that the pain they felt was moderate.

I'm sure they making it all up, Drew.

I hope that the players union and the league can come together on this one. The former players need help and the league and union should be the ones to do so. How many more horror stories like Mike Webster do we have to endure before these men are helped out.

You can help too. Check out these websites to see how you can.

Dignity After Football
Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund

For what its worth, I do not think that the current labor strife will affect the 2011 season. There will probably be a lockout in March but I really feel a deal will be in place by training camp. I really don't take sides in these labor disputes because its basically millionaires fighting with billionaires. I am with the players on the 18 game season, I don't feel its neccessary. In fact I would still decrease the number of preseason games and expand the current rosters while maintaining the 16 game season. One thing that the players union does need to do is present a united front and so far, there have been cracks in the armor of solidarity. You have players sniping at the union and each other about the labor agreement on twitter recently. You also had a bunch of players questioning Jay Cutler's toughness after coming out of the NFC Championship game with a knee injury. Finally you had the head of the Union, DeMaurice Smith comparing the negotiations with the league as "being at war". That remark almost makes me want to side with the owners.

Haven't we evolved past the point where every disagreement is a "war"? I am pretty sure that sitting in a nice warm hotel meeting room with catered food and a nice, soft bed to go to after a day of squabbling over money is nothing like war. Go ask the men and women in the deserts of Iraq or the mountains of Afghanistan, you know the ones away from their families and having bullets fly at them? I am pretty sure their idea of war is a little different. Smith's statement was disgusting, inappropriate and an insult to those Americans in an actual war zone. Luckily, they are too busy to notice at the moment.

That's what's on my mind for now. Super Sunday is approaching so enjoy the game and of course, the commercials. See ya-oh wait...you wanted a prediction. Ok here goes...the team who has the most points by the end of the 4th quarter will end up taking it.

Oh..not good enough? :)
Alright then....

the color of confetti that will be flying along with the yellow will be black.

Iron City Beer 17
Brats and Cheese 14....in overtime.

Peace