Top Reasons for doing the unthinkable: Dropping a Touchdown Pass

Since 2003 I've been playing in a touch football league with a bunch of crazy Italian boys (yes I'm a glutton for punishment). We get together, have a good time, and don't take it too seriously. After all it's just a beer league right? Well, not quite. Yes, it's a beer league and sure we have fun, but not one of us hates to lose. Especially these guys. When we lose you hear every curse word in the book (and some new ones). The funniest thing is that after the game everyone pats each other on the back "good game man, see you next week". But then at the local watering hole "that guy sucks man, why do we have him on our f***ing team?" LOL! Hilarious!

As for me, generally I enjoy playing offense, but thrive on playing defense. I just don't like seeing anyone else succeed (that kind of characteristic makes for a good CB). Having said that, when I do play offense there is nothing worse than dropping a pass (especially when it's 4 for the field...you've got to score to stay in the game). Even worse I hate dropping touchdown passes. And what sucks is I've been dropping my share lately. Damn! It's gotten so bad that I actually have a list of excuses that you can borrow when you happen to drop one:

1. The lights! I lost it in the lights!


2. The ball was too low man! Do I look like Danny DeVito to you?


3. The pass was too high brother! Do I look like Yao Ming to you?


4. He knocked it out of my hands! Didn't you see that?


5. WTF JD?! Put a spin on that ball!


6. Damn gloves


7. Ref! That guy was all over me! That flag stuck to your ass?


8. Dichio! I was trying to tip it to you man...pay attention!


9. I can't believe he got it there...do I look like Donovan Bailey to you?


10. The lights! I lost it in the damn lights!

Feel free to use any one of them. I was going to go on and write about how I'm getting older, losing my vision, getting arthritis in my hands, etc. But hell, I just just dropped the ball. Damn!

Da Rhino is out.

SUPERBOWL 43...

...was a whole lot of fun brother! Here's how Mr. Spiel saw it.

The 2 weeks leading up to the game found me really confident. I was backing the Cardinals and really felt they could win the game. In fact I really thought they would the game. You wanna know why? Because you cannot account for magic. The Cardinals had magic throughout the playoffs. Let's face it, everyone thought they would lose to the surging Falcons, a team that had really turned their season around behind Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Roddy White. But they won. Then they took down the Panthers on the road. And then they took care of business at home against the Eagles (and now one game them a chance in that game). MAGIC. So regardless of the Steeler's winning tradition and much vaunted defense, my predictions for the game were as follows:

• Cardinals 22, Steelers 20.


• Boldin would have a 50+ yard TD.


• Warner would win the MVP and punch his ticket to the HOF.

I was almost right. Warner to a sprinting Fitzgerald for a 62 yard TD and I'm yelping "wooo! wooo! wooo!" My wife thinks I'm crazy. I am. I'm actually cheering a team I used to laugh at. The Cardinals are going to win this bad boy. But then the unthinkable happens (well not really the way the Steelers were moving the ball all night, but you wanted to think it was unthinkable. You wanted the Cardinals to win).

These were my thoughts after the game:

• Roethlisberger and Holmes had ice water in their veins.


• Good on Tomlin, he's now the model coach everyone wants.


• I'm very happy for the Arizona Cardinals organization. It was a tall order and they almost pulled it off.


• I'm very happy for Kurt Warner, even in losing he was very gracious. Would he consider an offer to compete for the starting job in Dallas?


• Larry Fitzgerald is a very impressive young man. Young African-American men coming into the league should model themselves after him.

So here is the final kicker. Check out 9 players from my TonyNFL Fantasy team:

• Kurt Warner


• Larry Fitzgerald


• Anquan Boldin


• Edgerrin James


• Tony Romo


• Jason Witten


• Santonio Holmes


• Heath Miller


• Marshawn Inch (ooops! Lynch. I meant Lynch)

How did I not finish in the money? Damn!

Da Rhino is Out.