What I have been reading lately #31

Quarterblack: Shattering the NFL Myth by Doug Williams with Bruce Hunter

Doug Williams was an NFL quarterback during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. (He also played several years for the Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws of the now-defunct USFL.) In 1988, he became the first black player to start as quarterback in the Super Bowl. His Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos 42-10. (See photo below)

Shortly after his career was over, Doug Williams wrote his autobiography. Here are some important facts from his book and elsewhere:

• Doug Williams had a secret root canal operation on a tooth the day before the Super Bowl.
• In the middle of Super Bowl XXII, I was obliged to drive to the Amtrak station in Meriden, CT to pick up a friend of a friend. The friend of a friend was kind of a jerk and did not seem to appreciate the magnitude of the favor of was doing him (who I'd never met before) by picking him up during the Super Bowl, but I did not really care, because by then John Elway (pictured below) and the Denver Broncos were losing, and that was all that really mattered.

• In 1979 (only his second year in the league and the team's fourth), Doug Williams led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC Championship game.
• Doug Williams now works as Coordinator of Pro Scouting for the Buccaneers. He is very excited about their first round draft pick, Josh Freeman of Kansas State University.

Below: Doug Williams

Six months have passed, and I can hardly remember the Super Bowl

Six months and two days have passed since Super Bowl XLIII, and, thankfully, I can barely remember what happened. I remember that at the end of the first half, the Arizona Cardinals were deep in Pittsburgh territory and were about to score, but Kurt Warner threw an interception and that one guy for the Steelers ran it all the way back for a touchdown and collapsed into the end zone. I also remember that the Cardinals were leading late, but then the Steelers scored. I really wanted that guy's feet (see photo above) to be out of bounds, but they weren't. Finally I remember that with about five seconds left, the Steelers player knocked the ball out of Kurt Warner's hand and the referees ruled it a fumble and didn't even bother to review it using instant replay. (Although, maybe they did after all.)

I am just happy that the human brain can deal with tragedy and injustice by simply forgetting about it. Imagine how horrible our lives would be if we had to remember everything.

Abandoned books and/or movies #4-- more information about false memory #2?

Black and Honolulu Blue: In the Trenches of the NFL by Keith Dorney

In 1979, the Detroit Lions went 2-14, tying them for the worst record in the NFL that year. 1980 was a much better year for Detroit - during the offseason they drafted Billy Sims and started off the season 5-1. In the middle of this, veteran defensive back Jimmy "Spiderman" Allen recorded and released his own version of the popular song "Another One Bites the Dust," in which he explained how the Lions were going to defeat all their opponents. The lyrics included such statements as, "Come and watch the Detroit Lions that no one seems to beat," and "Last year's team was 2 and 14, but this is the year for New Orleans" (ie, Super Bowl XV, played in New Orleans). The song was a fan favorite in the Detroit area.

Despite the fact that Detroit finished the season 9-7, tying for first in the NFC Central Division and just barely missing the playoffs, the Lions were ridiculed for years to come because of Allen's song. According to Keith Dorney:

• That stupid song was rubbed into our faces time and time again and was played by our opponent's band after every away loss we suffered for years to come. How humiliating it was to hear Bamp, bamp, bamp. Another one bites the dust! as we walked off the field after a loss. (page 37)

Click here to find a link to the song. It is at the bottom of the article, before the comments section.

Click here to find out more about false memory #2?.

What I have been listening to lately #17: This team will not make it to the Super Bowl

This year's Super Bowl - a prediction

This year's Super Bowl will be between the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts. The Giants are clearly the best team in the NFC (9-1 at this point), and the Colts have overcome their slow start with recent wins over the Patriots and the Steelers.

The NFL bosses will be very happy with this Super Bowl match-up, since it will mean a media frenzy surrounding the fact that the Manning brothers will be facing each other in the game. In addition, it will be a rematch of the 1958 NFL Championship game which is often said to be the greatest football game ever played and the one that put the NFL on the map.