Thanksgiving Post

This Thursday is Thanksgiving. I usually enjoy this holiday. As a child I remember waking up and watching my parents bustle around the kitchen, preparing a feast. I would watch the Macy’s Parade with my sister. One year I remember playing board games with the parade on the television in the background. I really have no idea why this memory has stayed in my head, but one Thanksgiving morning I distinctly remember participating in a heated game of Battleship.

My junior year of high school was definitely a unique Thanksgiving. A few days before the holiday that encourages feasting, I had oral surgery. The removal of my wisdom teeth happened to come mere days before Thanksgiving, thus eliminating any possibility of me enjoying a good Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of my usual feast I managed to barely get down a meager serving of jello amidst all of my medical woes.

This Thursday I am very excited to watch the Green Bay Packers play the hapless Detroit Lions in Detroit. The Packers won today against the San Francisco 49ers. Last week the Packers beat the surging Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay. If the team can put together this three game winning streak successfully, they will have a legitimate possibility of winning their way to a wildcard slot in the playoffs.

The greatest possible outcome imaginable would be for the Packers to defeat the evil Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs. While unlikely, this scenario would mirror the 2004 season. The Packers beat the Vikings twice during the regular season, but they lost when it mattered most during the wildcard round of the playoffs. The Packers have lost both games to the Vikings this season, but history has proven that it is extremely difficult to beat the same team three times in one year.

The Agony of Defeat...

Last night the University of Miami defeated the University of Oklahoma by a single point in a nationally televised football game. This marks the second defeat in four games for Oklahoma; the Miami team lost last week for the first time.

This loss upsets me because it essentially eliminates OU from playing in an illustrious bowl game at the season's conclusion. Instead, OU will most likely play in a mid-tier bowl against a decent opponent. If recent history is any indicator, the team will probably lose the bowl game too. (I realize I'm being overly pessimistic. Just give me some time to mourn.)

Tomorrow night, my beloved Green Bay Packers will take the field against bitter division rivals the Minnesota Vikings. This game is even more important than usual when you consider that current Vikings quarterback Brett Favre made his career with the Green Bay Packers for over a decade. Now he is wearing the purple and gold, and Packers fans across the nation all feel as if Mike Tyson circa 1987 personally punched them in the stomach.

I don't think I can properly describe how badly I want the Packers to win Monday night. I would classify the feeling as more of a need than a want. With Oklahoma's season in disarray, my one last bastion of football glory rests with the Packers. They lost in week two against the Bengals at home, but they absolutely trounced the Rams last week. A win on Monday night will see the Packers stand alone atop their division, while a loss will see Minnesota remain undefeated and poised to begin pulling ahead of the rest of the teams. in the NFC North.

So Monday night sit back, relax, and watch some intense football action. If there is any justice in the world the Packers will come out victorious, and I can step back from the ledge I will no doubt crawl onto.