Super Bowl Guide for the Uninitiated

After watching the Royal Rumble with some friends (and not having followed wrestling in nearly 20 years), I can lament for those who attend Super Bowl parties and have either no interest, or no knowledge of the actual game. For their sake, traveling in packs is not a bad idea. Based on my experience with the Rumble, however, enjoying the game with those emotionally invested can be a lot more fun than simply being there and doing something else while everyone else watches. Being with fans enables one to rise and fall with the team's victories and failures. Trust me: it's a lot more fun giving a high five if you know why you're giving that high five.

While I do not plan to write the numerous rules of the game, or even each individual player on each team, I will submit a few things that can help casual viewers for their experience:

1. The game is between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. If you are going to a party, fans will typically fall into one of two categories: they will either love the Patriots...or they will hate the Patriots. It is very typical that more intense football fans will fall into either category with the same intensity. The Rams are a kind of hybrid new team in the sense that they are a franchise that has moved around a lot in its history. It is not, therefore, common to find many hardcore Rams fans. Most fans cheering for the Rams, I suppose, will be more interested in seeing the Patriots lose than they will seeing the Rams win. Why? 

1a. Because the Patriots enjoy an unparalleled success in the NFL spanning almost two decades. The Patriots won their first of five Super Bowls in 2002. They were lead by the same quarterback, Tom Brady, and the same head coach, Bill Belichick. It is not difficult to dislike the latter because despite his genius, he is perceived as grumpy, mean, sharp with his criticism, and a little bit of a weirdo.

The Rams, on the other hand, are lead by a head coach who is actually younger than the Patriots starting quarterback by nearly 8 years (Quarterback by the way, is by far the most important player on the field because he touches the ball the most). Sean McVay was only 16 when the Pariots started their run. McVay is the youngest head coach in NFL history, and is only a few weeks younger than my younger brother. My younger brother is a priest, so no matter what McVay does, Father wins.

2.  Those strange numbers you keep seeing on the screen that isn't the score is what's called down and distance. Long story short, the team on offense has 4 attempts (or downs) to gain 10 yards. Those strange numbers are a guide to what is required of the offense at any given time. "2nd and 5" for example, means 2nd down (or second attempt of four), and 5 yards to go. The 5 yards to go in this scenario means, if the offense gains 5 or more yards, they get a fresh set of attempts, reverting back to "1st and 10."

3. A (yellow) flag means a penalty which may or may not alter the play depending on who committed the penalty. The rules are pretty complex, but what you need to know is that there is a certain excitement and relief about flags, especially if you have reason to believe that the offending party is the opposition. 

A red flag means a coach has challenged the referees decision on the field. The game will be stopped, and the referee will confer with video replay to make a decision. A red flag is also the sign of a sales event...apparently.

4. Yes. The commercial breaks will give you ample time to stock up on snacks and drinks. And yes, they are also annoying to more hardcore fans, especially when CTV or whatever decides to cut out American commercials. If the game feels long, it's because Corporate America has bills to pay, men need to feel more justified, and women feel less insecure with help of products that have no bearing on either.

5. The halftime show is headlined by Maroon 5, Big Boi (from Outkast) and some other guy I don't know. I've never really cared about the halftime show, but there you are.

6. If you hear people talking about a goat, they're talking about whether or not Tom Brady is considered the "Greatest Of All Time." That, or you're watching on a farm, and you better wish they (the goats) did not leave presents in your nice shoes.

Things I'm Grateful For

I think I wrote about something similar to this closer to Thanksgiving, but here are a few more things that I'm grateful for (Warning: some are more silly than others):

For my godson's ability to be cute simply by existing.

here is nothing he does that I don't think is absolutely adorable. In so many ways, it reminds me of how our heavenly Father looks upon us. Of course, if there is something that angers Him (in a analogical way), it is our sins, but I do not think that changes how He looks upon us, His creation, with great love. That does not mean sin and the struggle to virtue, and working salvation with fear and trepidation are dismissed, but I think such fear and trepidation is easier to understand within the context of a loving Father, gazing upon His son. MJ will make mistakes, but he is just so imminently lovable.

Premier League Games on Television

I remember being a little kid and waiting for Saturday morning cartoons to start after soccer. Soccer did not interest me back then, but now that I am a genuine Liverpool fan, it brings me great joy to see my beloved Reds take the pitch live in the comfort of my own home. The programming leaves something to be desired, however, when Manchester United vs Liverpool was bumped by sides other than Chelsea, Manchester City and maybe Tottenham. It was a crime that that match was not as accessible as it should have been.

For my friends' growing families.

It is not possible for me to express how grateful I am to see your children, pick them up, play with them, but more importantly, to see you grow in virtue as first, (or even second or third) time fathers and mothers. It is a great joy for me to see Marky change diapers, Jom discuss feeding patterns, Figgz' enthusiasm about Jalen, holding Maya and trying to be friends with Isabella, Annie's pictures of Max and Ben, Ignatius' fear, Isabella's hellos on facebook messenger, etc. I love being part of your family life, even if it is still in a remote way.

Examples of Virtue

Related to the aforementioned, but I am always in awe of men and women who exemplify virtue in their own way. Perhaps, in today's grab bag of negative news, (fake news, real news, doesn't matter. Watching the news is a good way to become overly skeptical of the world) acts of virtue stand out more than they should, but I, for one, am certainly not aware of when they do happen. Just yesterday, I saw some kids at a high school include another kid sitting on the sideline in a basketball game. I do not think they wanted to include him, but they did, finding him a spot in the game. It might be nothing, but for me, it was definitely something.

Friends Who Love Football, Hockey and Basketball

Yes, I wrote about this earlier, but there are few things I enjoy more than hanging with friends and family while watching my favourite teams...lose. There are exceptions mind you: Clemson humiliating Alabama with Father and Ma; seeing the Blazers put the boots to the Sixers and watching the Saints survive against Philly, and... that's pretty much it. This does not mean, however, that sports are not enjoyable, especially when our good friends who are Patriots fan smile their way through a Chargers beat down.

Nuff Said

One Four to Nine

Over 3 Full Football Games. Mass at Home. People I love more than anything. Baptism. Pizza. Sushi. Soccer.

The last five days were wonderful.

All I Want for Christmas

Spending time with family, especially for the last few days of 2018 has been a great blessing. It has been very fulfilling, spending time with my nephew and niece, who prior to this time, were only available to me for a few hours a year. One comment my nephew is very fond of saying is, "No, I don't want it." Just short of four years though,  he is unable to distinguish the fact that his desires are not necessarily the right desires, especially given the context of the common good, or even the desires of his parents. He seems to think that everyone should conform to his every whim, no matter the desire.

While this immaturity has produced its fair share of humorous moments, my mind does not drift afar from the obvious analogy between what I want, and what God wants, at any given moment.

As the Christmas Octave finally draws to a close, the recurring theme is that desire by itself is not sufficient. A correctly ordered will is a real thing. It is not enough to want something simply speaking for that thing to be the best good for us. All things desirable are good, but may not good for that particular moment, or maybe even good for us in general.

Frustrated desires for sure can cause a great deal of anxiety, perplexity, and even resentment. But prayer, the use of reason, and perhaps underappreciated of all, a healthy dose of patience, can hopefully correct a will to desire only the best things at the best possible time, in the best possible context. So while there is only a day left of the Christmas Octave, all I want for Christmas, is to want correctly.