Much is required

The 49ers made the Celebration of the Century - 1980s decade stamps
The 49ers made the Celebration of the Century – 1980s decade stamps

Sunday was Championship Sunday and yesterday, I got half of my wish. I was hoping for a ‘no feathers’ Super Bowl, instead we got the Har-bowl: a Super Bowl where two brothers – opposing head coaches – are pitted against each other. It will be a good one, no doubt, but I will be rooting for the 49ers.

If you have followed me for a while, or even for a short time, you know I enjoy football. You might recall I have rooted for the Packers in the playoffs (2011), the Patriots in the Super Bowl (2012), and wonder if I just root for the team that is on top. Not true.

Tom Regner's football card from 1970 - I have two of them!
Tom Regner’s football card from 1970 – I have two of them!

I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston and I grew up an Oilers fan, and am an Astros fan in baseball, and a Rockets fan in basketball. I will ALWAYS root for these teams, even though I don’t live there anymore. To make matters worse, the Oilers are no longer and even though they made the Super Bowl, as the Tennessee Titans, a dozen years ago, it was difficult to cheer for them. So, I don’t. I moved away from Houston in 1987, but my sport allegiances have remained true to the Houston area except for football. When the Oilers moved away in 1999, so did my NFL football connection to Houston.

In 1987, I moved to San Francisco and I lived there for three years. When I lived there, they were the 49ers of Joe Montana and back-to-back Super Bowl victories. They were fun to watch, but I do remember the most difficult part of living in California was that the Oilers were rarely visible and also games started at ten Sunday morning. I was forced to watch west coast teams. After California, I moved to Dallas, Texas. I was never a Cowboys fan. Bum Phillips, the legendary Oiler football coach reportedly once said,

“The Dallas Cowboys may be America’s team, but the Houston Oilers are Texas’ team.”

I know what he means. The year I lived in Dallas, the Cowboys were horrible, but they were on the rise. I was only in Dallas for a year and moved to the Chicago area in 1991, which is where I still live and where I have made my home, except for my football team.

Chicago has the Bears and I do not like the Bears. I cannot explain why, but it is difficult to watch them. To the north lie, the Packers and they were fun to watch especially when they played the Bears –always. Therefore, I adopted them as my team, but they are really not my home team.

I realize I sound like a politician on a tough issue, but that is where I am. To compound the problem, a dozen or so years ago, I joined a fantasy football league with a group of guys at school and it has turned me into a football mercenary, of sorts. My roster was made up of players from every team. Last year, I had the Bengals QB and RB and the Steeler defense. So, when they played each other I was rooting against myself, sort of.

However, it all comes back to allegiances and where they lay. Yesterday, I rooted for the 49ers and the Patriots for simple reasons. The 49ers were the team of legend in the late 80s and early 90s and fun to watch and without a home team of my own, they are one of a handful of teams I enjoy watching. I enjoy watching the Patriots because the one time I made the fantasy playoffs in my league, Tom Brady was my QB and Welker was one of my WRs. Mercenary. Finally, the Ravens will always be the Cleveland Browns and the dirty birds of the AFC; I just cannot root for them.

So, last night I watched the last half of the Patriots-Ravens game with Ivy’s head in my lap and it was clear the Ravens were the better team. It will be an interesting Super Bowl. I will root for the Niners in the meantime; there are almost two weeks between now and the game. In between there is much to do, much to learn, and much required that has nothing to do with football, or the Super Bowl.
There are far more important issues than football, today is the inauguration, it is also Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and I am out of school. So are the kids. We will watch, listen, and learn. I will squeeze in some grading, a full amount of prep for the coming week, complete some chores and work to Make the Day Count.

“…….whoever has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who has been given more.”Luke 12:48

So, I had better jump up, jump in, and get a move on. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, even when I’d rather write and think about football. There is much to do, much is required.

What is required of you today?

 

7 thoughts on “Much is required

  1. No, they’re not changing the name. I used to call them the Santa Clara West Nile Virus Mosquitoes (because that’s where the mosquitoes first showed up in the Bay Area), but that’s too long. Called them the ‘squitos for a while. Now, I just call them the Santa Clara 49ers. How can they be San Francisco 49ers when they’re in Santa Clara?!

    1. I agree. My hometown recently added a minor league baseball franchise to compliment the other minor league franchise in town – the Houston Astros. That is pretty harsh, but they are bailing out and moving ot the American League next year. The team held a contest to name the team and ended up naming it the the Skeeters – after a bug! I entered the contest and suggested the Imperials to honor the town’s legaccy of being home to the Imperial Sugar Company since 1843! Have a great day.

  2. Nice post. The Super Bowl is an interesting matchup and might turn out to be a spectacular game. I just hope it doesn’t turn into a blowout as those get boring quick. Also, what brother do their parents root for? Hmmm………

    1. I saw a tiny article in the paper that mom and dad were going to watch last week’s games from their couch in Wisconsin. What a dilemna… reminds me of the girl a few years back who was the sister of the Notre Dame QB, Brady Quinn and was dating an Ohio State LBer A.J. Hawk – she had a jersey made up from both jerseys. I hope it is a close game and nothing like many of past super bowls… unless of course it your team that is on the winning side of the score, but then again there is nothing like a game that goes down to the last possession. thanks for stopping by – keep making your days count!

  3. Nothing is required of me today. Amazing! I have chosen to start my day watching the Inauguration (which I thought was GREAT), catching up with your blog, and catching up with emails. Yes, 49ers are heading to the Superbowl…the first time since 1995. I am hoping they win, as it would be nice for them to win a Superbowl before they become the Santa Clara 49ers…OH YES! I KNOW EXACTLY how you feel about the Oilers! I started losing that “49er Faithfulness” when they were going back and forth between leaving and staying. It was like kicking an old boyfriend to the curb, only to take him back, kick him, take him back, and that got old after a while. Since the new stadium has started being built, the joy I used to have watching the 49ers just isn’t there, as much, anymore. I, too, am of the Joe Montana 49ers timeline. Anyway, glad you’re still blogging…glad I’m still reading 🙂

    1. I hadn’t thought of your predicament – the Santa Clara 49ers… sounds weird. Are they really going to change their name – like Boston\New England? Uggghhh, if they do. I know they have been trying to get a new stadium for a long time. I remember Montana and Young, Walsh and Seifert and the 49er glory days of the 80s and early 90s…. it was good football. I will always remmeber after the 49ers stomped Denver the political cartoon and joke going around the city… What do speed limit signs say in Denver? Speed Limit 55, Broncos 10! Thanks for following along and reading. I’ll be rooting for the 49ers….

Thanks for visiting MtDC. How are YOU Making YOUR Days Count?