A great Super Bowl - elevated in stature because one team carried the hopes and dreams of a city that has yet to realize the many promises of politicians to rebuild it. I sometimes wonder what it must be like to live in the 9th Ward and watch the coverage of Haiti and the aid that is 'pooring' in - with just some of that money and attention what might have been in New Orleans.
I remember being in New Orleans in the early 90s - we were directed to a fish hut in the 9th Ward where we had a superb crawdad feast - they literally dumped the whole mixture on a table and Phil, Larry and I chowed down - feeds don't get much better than that. I don't know when I ate again, but it must have been a day or two later.
Whenever I think of New Orleans I also think of Lucinda Williams - a great songwriter and a singer with a distinctive voice. I always enjoy her music. But I could easily mention Aaron Neville, Allen Toussiant, Al Hirt, Peyton & Eli Manning, Ellen DeGeneres, Fats Domino, Ray Walston, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Truman Capote, the Marsalis Family ....
The game - what a great series of calls and plays starting with the goal line call and stand at the end of of the 2nd quarter, then the Saints holds the Colts to 3 and out, then the Saints kick a field goal, then the opening second half, 'on side kick', the recovery and then the drive to TD. What does it take to make calls like Sean Payton made at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half - it takes a couple of things I think - it takes confidence in your team to not just execute the play but, to know your team will mentally survive, should the play fail and then, to still have continued confidence in the plan - 'stay the course'.
But there is another more intangible element to this and that is this - Sean Payton was not afraid to lose - he was afraid not to win. And there is a big difference between these two attitudes. If you are not afraid to lose, you buy into the Manning legacy, play defensively and try to take advantage of what comes your way. If you are afraid not to win, you recognize the Manning legacy, and you push whenever you can; you go for it on 4th down, you on side kick to start the second half, you let Drew Brees air it out as he has been doing all year. There are so many lessons to be learned from this performance that management consultants should be busy for years. Hopefully somebody in Washington DC watched the game and took heed - lead, follow or get out of the way.
Yesterday was a very slow day, didn't ride, didn't leave town - one of those very lazy, laid back Sundays - all leading up to the big game. I took a few pictures but within 25 feet of the condo.
The Super Bowl commercials were interesting as usual - the Tim Tebow one maybe not as controversial as all the flack leading up to it - what I took away from it is simply what I believe - it is a woman's choice to make - and that choice is never easy - but having a choice is the key principle here. I 'll have more to say on the principle of choice in another blog.
I enjoyed the performance by The Who at half time - a little guitar looseness by Pete Townshend I thought - but hell, you have to inject some interest and energy into songs you really don't want to be playing any more - he just made the mistake of not dying before he got old - and Daltrey won't let him move on. I think that was Zakk Starkey on drums and I know that was Pino Palladino on bass - a great bass player who knows all of Entwhistle's bass lines cold! Check out his work with John Mayer ....
Townshend and I share the same birth date - he is 5 years my senior and he will turn 65 later this year - I'll turn 60 in May - if I make it!!. The 'Who's Next' album ( no, not their next album), an assemblage of songs from the failed Lighthouse project, is still one of my all time favorite albums - I still remember the first time I heard it - at a party somewhere on the Saint John River in 1971 - it blew me away then and still does today - Going Mobile, Behind Blue Eyes, Wont' Get Fooled Again, Baba O'Riley, Bargain, Getting in Tune, The Song Is Over .... to me it was Townshend at the peak of his powers ... which as I remember was fueled by alcohol, drugs and one hell of a muse ....
Which now has me now seguing into a thought about heroes - where are our modern day anarchist's - the Woody Guthries, the Pete Seegers, the Martin Luther Kings, the Mahatma Ghandis - those whose passion and moral strength gave us the courage of our convictions. Where are the anarchist thinkers that kept us honest - the Bukowskis, the Ginsbergs, the Rubins, the Hoffmans, the Malcolm Xs, - we need these folks now more than ever - I'll return to this in a future blog as well ....
But while you're waiting for that with bated breath ... check out this clip of Steve Earle musing on this theme, ....
I am re-reading the Daphne Du Maurier short story 'The Birds' to better understand what it is I am up against with regard to the charcoal winged menace - folks, I may not be able best this creature - but there will be a reckoning - and I am thinking that I may have to meet this adversary in it's own element - the air .... no, not like Icarus .... to quote Baldric.... 'I have a cunning plan' ...stay tuned - it will be interesting ....,
One more thing - there is a large pinnacle just behind the condo so I took a picture of that - I was thinking that this would be a day without the raven crow beast - think again - see the enlarged portion of the photo with you know who moon walking across the top of the pinnacle ....
can you say 'Shake 'n' Bake' .... more later ...
Phil
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