Seven anxious days makes one week.

7 days until the Super Bowl. At 5:30pm Central this coming Sunday, hopefully we will have won the toss and our present day #7, Harrison Butkicker will drill the ball well over the head of the return man and out of the end zone.

Victor, I wonder who else has worn #7 as a Chief?

I thought you'd never ask, thanks: Zenon (Mr. Sajak I'd like to buy a vowel) Andrusyshyn, Matt Cassel, and John Huarte, to name a few..

Lucky 7's in the draft? Fer sure in fact we had three 7-round pics that are playing extensively this year, Isiah Pacheco, Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson.

Anything else insteresting about #7 and the Chiefs?'... Well, in their 7th year as the Kansas City Chiefs they had a pretty good year. It was 1969. They finished the regular season 11-3, Lenny got hurt, Mike Livingston stepped to play in SEVEN games - winning the six he started. Post season they traveled to NY to defeat Mr. Namath and the defending Super Bowl Champs 13-6, thanks in large part to a 4th quarter TD pss to SEVENTH round draft pick, Gloster Richardson.

Traveling again, they exacted revenge on Oakland (the Raiders beat them twice in the regular season), winning 17 to SEVEN. On to Super Bowl baby! Surely they lost, the Vikings were favored by 13. Nope. KC wins 23 to SEVEN! Wow, three postseason games, allowing a total of 20 points! Many years later ESPN calls this team the SEVENTH best defense ever!

I'm liking this 7 stuff. Me too! Any more?

Well, let's checkout the top SEVEN all-time leaders.  

Passing: Lenny leads with 28,507 yards in 183 games. It won't be long until Patrick catches him as he's already passed for 24,241 yards in only 80 games! Then, it's Trent, Alex, Bill Kenney, Steve (remember my crooked pinkie!) DeBerg, and Livingston.

Rushing: Jamaal, Priest, Larry, Christian, Ed, Abner and Marcus.

Receiving: Tony, Travis, Otis, Dwayne, Tyreek, Henry and Carlos.

Scoring; Nick, Jan, Harrison, Ryan, Priest, Tony and Travis.

Stats are boring Victor. Agreed.

Howabout, SEVEN decades with the Chiefs, Lenny/Player/Broadcaster and 94 year young George Toma, already in Phoenix working on his 57th Super Bowl!

OK, I've read enough SEVENS, I'm outta here. NO!! WAIT!!

Halftime performers the first SEVEN years:

1967; The Three Stooges! Nuh uh! Uh huh! Did! U of Arizona and Grambling State bands.

1968: Grambling State Band

1969: Florida A&M and Miami area HS Bands

1970: Doc Severinsen, Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton and Southern U Band

1971: Southern Misssouri State Band

1972: Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt and USMC Drill Team

1973: U of Michigan Band, Woody Herman and Andy Williams

The times, they are'a changin...

Last SEVEN, I promise!

One of the below SEVEN is an imposter and has never performed at halftime - the others have:

Blues Brothers (Akroyd, Goodman, Belushi); Eagles; George Burns; New Kids on the Block, Rolling Stones; Temptations; ZZ Top

Chiefs fly to Phoenix today, no trash talk, respect, both teams.

Love, Grumpy and the rest of the SEVEN

Ho hum... to... it's gr8 the Super Bowl is only 8 days from now...

Not all that long ago I remember going out and about in KC only to see roughly every other person wearing some type of Royal's attire.  Bars, buses, ballrooms and baseball games it was a cinch you'd hear "Let's Go Royals, clap-clap, clap clap clap."

I remember how cool it was seeing the rejuvenation of young'ns to baseball... Then I remembered thinking " they're gonna take this for granted thinking 'It's gonna be like this every year' ".... Uh oh...

Fast forward to Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennell.... woe is me, we've hit bottom (and we've had some bottoms what with going from 1974 to 1988 with one, count it, one winning season. Enter Marty, then Dick.. and BOOM, in 2017 trading up seventeen spots (27 to 10) to draft one Patrick Mahomes.

Now, we go out and about in KC and see roughly every other person in Chief's get-up. Great Clips can hardly keep up with all the kid requsts for 'a Mahomes do'. Bars, buses ballrooms and ballgames it's a cinch the arms will start chopping and in unison the Chief's chant, however you spell it, will breakout.

Yawn, ho hum, it's gonna be like this every year.

Fred G Sanford might retort "Dummy! You wanna hear some names that ain't never won in the Super Bowl?"  Sure Fred, enlighten me."Dan Marino, Gale Sayers, Terrell Owens, JJ Watt, Dick Butkus, Earl Campbell, TONY GONALEZ... " OK, OK, OK, I get it!

Red, er, Fred, never one to hold back a word, added "Only 3% of the players in the NFL get to play in the Super Bowl, an did you know Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, CINCINNATI, Cleveland, Detroit, Houton Texans, Jacksonville, LA Chargers, Minnesots and Tennesse have NEVER won a Super Bowl, so don't give me that ho hum stuff."

OK, I'm excited again.

8 days. 

#8 for the Chiefs is Carlos Dunlap. He was originally drafted in 2010 and this is his first Super Bowl.

$8 would buy you a cheapie ticket to the first Super Bowl.

Nick the Kick wore #8. So did Morten Anderson and Matt Moore, remember him?

8 days, can't wait.

"You're all 8 up, dummy."

Love, Victurd

February 2nd, 2023, Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania......

Annually they gather. They either fly into the Pittsburgh Airport, rent a car and drive the remaining 79 miles - or, they come via Buses, Trains, Automobiles, or a combination therein.

Who Dey? Dey is broadcasters, sport's analysts, editors, sports show hosts, sideline reporters, podcasters, Vegas bookies, et. al., from the likes of CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPNSHRIMP, BALLYS, FANDUEL, BLEACHER REPORT, SI, 247SPORTS, THE ATHLETIC, YAHOO, and probably YIPPEE.

Why dey?

Did you like, just get here?

Ever since Lamar Hunt organized the 'Foolish Club', started the AFL, challenged the big, bad, mighty Bronko Nagurski,  Dick Butkus, THE NFL, complete with bad, bad, Jimmy Brown - and in 1967, the NFL FINALLY accepted - a ceremony has been held, the infamous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, comes out of his hole and usually faces the direction of the City he predicts to win the Super Bowl.

For instance, in 1967, within seconds, he came out, immediately faced NW (toward Green Bay), accurately forecasting their win over the SW direction, Kansas City Chiefs.

Occasionally, the wooly booger adds theatrics, like in 1969, he emerged facing NYC, holding a torch, wearing a Men's Warehouse fur coat (over his own fur coat) complete with cigar and sunglasses, with a sign taped to his front, "I guarantee it", accurately (again) forecasting Broadway Joe Namath and the Jets over the Colts.

Of course, Ole Punx has been wrong a few times. Some claim he's a genuine smartass, misses on purpose, then retires to his hole laughing his ass off, only to smoke cigs and drink Yuengling for six straight weeks.

Last year when he appeared to the media throng, there was a Ram's hat and a Bengal's hat in front of him. He initially picked the Bengal's hat, drawing cheers from the sport's crew of WKRP Cincinnati - but - he put it down, grabbed the Ram's hat and retired to his hole. Both CNN and FOX happened to be at City Hall in Cincy and they each recorded the Mayor's irate reaction, "That's bulls*it, we'll make the Rams our bit*hes." In spite of initial dogooder Cincy fury, he was shortly after voted in for a second term.

TODAY.

DRUM ROLL.

Don't do that, scares him, he won't come out.

When he did finally come out, he was wearing Donna Kelce-like half red (#87) half green (#62) jersey, he'd face KC, do a 180, face Philly, another 180, pause, and another, pause, etc, until he went back into his hole.

Soon after, he appeared wearing a Chief's #37 jersey, ran down to a pond, lowered his head in prayer in honor of Joe Delaney, then back to his hole. The next time he came out he had on a Chief's #58 jersey and he was carrying 7 sacks. Turns out, they were full of food, he ran to a nearby orphanage, dropped them off and again returned to his hole.

Reporters were drawing impatient. We think, but we're not 100% sure it was Jime Rome who said "I make too much money to stand here all day by a rodent hole."

Again Phil emerged. He was big. We ain't sure if it was stuffing, or, that he'd had a second helping of grubs. He had on a Donna Kelce-like shirt, no numbers, front half green, back half red. He had a mustache over his already wooly lip, wearing wire rim glasses, carrying a clipboard. Once again, he started doing 180's in the diection of KC, then Philly, then KC, etc,. etc. Then, gone in a flash as fast as a big man could flash - back in his hole.

Impatient sports guys impatienter by now. We think, but we're not 100% sure it was Joe Buck who said "One more trick like that, I'm outta here." We think Phil mighta heard it 'cause he stayed down there long enough to smoke couple cigs and have a Yuengling.

When he finally did come out, he was wearing a Chief's #15 jersey, wearing a headband and afuzzy toupee over his already wooly head. Lo and behold another 'Phil' emerged (we suspect it was his brother Finley) and the second 'Phil' had on a State Farm shirt, yeah, like Jake. The Mahomey-like Phil, in spite of limped grimace, tried every State Farm trick he'd tried in the commercials to impress 'Jake-Finley'.

'Jake', in spite of being amazed by Patrick's courage, finally stopped him and said "Patrick, you don't have to do all that to beat the Eagles."

WHAT? A GROUNDHOG TALKED?

Phil-Patrick limped toward his hole, remarking, "Yeah, what he said, Chiefs 34-17."

Love, Victurd

Seems Maybe I Like....... Eggs?

Well, true, I do...but goodness gracias... headed to the Piggly Wiggly soon, can I borrow five dolla's?

Blog writers, so I've heard, oft times start staring for a long time at that blank page (or, 'rabbit in a snowstorm' if you prefer) simply to try to come up with a title.

I wanted to write about my favorite word, SMILE. Right you are, I have many favorite words - words like love, emotion, compassion, butterpecanicecream, and, maybe even sex.

Being addicted to Wordle, I dorkily tried to come up with five words, spelling out the five letter word, s-m-i-l-e. You know, like:

Seems Maybe I Like...Eggs....

Or howabout Seems Maybe I Like Ears....you know, they help you learn, listen, pat your foot to music.. scratch, and they're even fun to kiss. All, make one smile.

Or maybe the last word could be Effort.... Electricity, just spent 48 hours in a 30 degree house with no electricity, oh, you could still smile - it just took more effort with a frozen face.

Seems Maybe I Like Emotion - oh baby do I... You?

Seems Maybe I Like Emissions but admit they can cause Embarrassment too. (Saw a wonderful video of an Elementary school teacher who, mid Zoom lesson, farted. Silence, then she giggled, a little girl blurted "Did she just fart?" And, loud laughter, more giggles and SMILES.)

Lotsa E words bring smile.... Employ...Energy..Encounter (Mind out of E gutter, unless it makes you smile)...

Entertain.. Enthusiasm ...Enjoy.. Everybody (a good time was had by all)... Excellence... 

And, smiles are Everywhere, like Chickenman! (Ya gotta be old and from KC to comprende that one.)

OK, tired of the E's... knew I would be, Eventually...

There ain't nuttin' in pill form you can buy at CVS or Walgreens as therapeutic as a smile. 

Kids.. Oldsters.. Buddies... Family... even Strangers - smiles open doors, hearts.

Sure, it's real hard sometimes, we all get those "leave me alone" moments...

I usedta start my day staring in the mirror at my ugly, aging, mug and wanna upchuck - no more, now I smile. A beautiful gal learnt me to. You see, I have this Edema stuff going on (there's the durn E word again.) As I glance at that mirror, there's a 'bag' of fluid under my right eye. I sleep on my right side, fluid builds up.

Where was I? Oh yeah, a beautiful gal. This gal maybe had the best smile I've ever seen. She was in Hospice, the bastard cancer. "Come see me, they give me a week, maybe two." Of course I went. There waiting was that beautiful smile, as well as a pocket of fluid around her eye from the cancer. She even apologized for it, didn't need to, I saw smile, and beauty.

Smiles are yummy. They fix much in life. They set the table for us to enjoy life. They bring hello, touch, hug, high five, fist bump, like and love.

Seems Maybe I Like Em. May we all reap, invest, enjoy the smiles of others - and neva' eva' hold ours back,

Eternal love, Victurd

Patsy might call me crazy.......

I know I post too much, but at this point in life I don't care. As suspicioned, more money has come in on Cincy and they are now favored. However, I've transitioned from "OH NO" to "Heck yeah!" Not all that long ago it was "We can't beat the Astros, they beat THE YANKEES. Take me home, country road, to the place I belong....in my living room watching the Mets and the Bluejays (or Astros)"

We beat the Astros, dang.

The Bluejays.... no way. Kings of the AL East, the biggest, baddest of the big money league, market. They got that Bautista guy me no likey. Remember? He caught the last out of an inning, little kids were enamored with hope for him to toss them the ball, he faked a throw to them, tucked it in his glove and ran into the dugout. GRRRRRR.

We beat 'em.

The Mets. Beat the Dodgers, swept the Cubs, aye yai yai.

We know the rest.

That was the last time a KC team was in the post season I felt "No way Jose" (pun maybe intended)

Until now.

Ya know, I kinda like it.

How dadgum cool would it be if they (Cincy) flexed their muscles, said "Who dey"... and....

52 and 3/4's players Showed 'em', pun perhaps intended again.

Chris? Frank...Derrick.. George.. Carlos.. Khalen? Did you see how Joe Burrow mocked Patrick? GRRRRRRRRR. 

I mean, I really hate when someone starts a sentence with "I mean", BUT, I mean how fun would this be.............................

As underdogs..........

Patrick ???? playing ???? every ???? down ????with ???? question ???? ouch, should Andy take him out? Sub in a 37 year old guy?  There's no hope!

Wait. How dang good would that be if we/He DID beat them?

I'm OK now. I'm ready for rope-a-dope. I really think a victory (in doubt) will be way more fun than 'we should.'

Pretty interesting (to me anyways) article below.

Or Chad.  Either will be awesome.

Love, Victurd

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/top-10-gutsiest-in-game-performances-by-injured-athletes/

What's impo'tant to you?

Recently, up popped a thing asking "What would you change about your wedding?"  My brain immediately went into smartass mode, but thankfully I hadn't had a beer or three, I didn't want to come across as bitter (sore loser?) so I behaved, didn't. One guy said he often runs the video backwards, so they walk in reverse up the aisle, kiss, say their vows and he finally gets to the good part where he's at his bachelor party. I guess this will be like that - "What's impo'tant to you?", in rewind style.........

To me? I thought you'd never ask..........

Birth........  Mom, sleep, mom, and s'more sleep....

Toddler.... Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Green Genes, Tom Terrific and "Mom? I can't find Teddy, I can't sleep without Teddy!"

A bit older.... training wheels.. mom, of course dad.. a payback to my beloved older sister.. grandma and grandpa ..... and a new roll of caps.

"Humor me" the blog writer person wrote,"... as we age here, think along wit' me in each respective age with "What's impo'tant to you?"

Nine-ish, ten-ish... mom/dad... ok darnit, big sister too... Andy, Ope, Barn, my bike (freedom), the 9, count 'em, 9 siblings that lived next door, thus enabling countless, and I do mean countless hours of whiffle ball... not to mention skateboarding, sledding, Red Rover and Kick The Can. Impo'tant, heck to the yeah...

Somewhere between that and "I got my driver's license":... a little dab of Brylcreem... Eddie Wally and the Beav'... Moe, Larry and Curly (our beginning of rebellion?)..  wearing any shirt that DID NOT have a fruit loop.  square patches for the jean knees, screws and electrical tape for wooden ball bats. Hey, can you believe that one girl actually wears a bra?  Toothpicks and cinnamon oil... surfer shirts... a good supply of those plastic adapter thingies for 45 records... Goofus, Gallant, Highlights... 'Coc', you had to be from Liberty/What were we thinking?.... mom, dad, sister, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles. Tonettes, nevermind, I sucked.

FROSH... being scared shirtless... what's that hair.. he ain't got no hair.. and WHY does Coach stand outside the shower to check our names off? Clean gym clothes. the guy alphabetically next to us in our gym class lineup who FINALLY washed his gym clothes.  girls. the Plaza Theater, girls, that first kiss, should I rewind again from here?  Anything, everything (Municipal Stadium, Sam's Parking, Green bats, the rabbit, the Lincoln High bleachers, Arthur Bryants, Charlie O) about Charlie Finley and the KC A's.

SOPH/JR. ... "SHOTGUN!...I CALLED IT FIRST!"..  Parallel parking, ugh... sports... School dances..I'll go but do I have to dance? Does The Plaza III have cheeseburgers? Can someone show me how to put these damn cufflinks on? YOU CUSSED! Yeah, we do that now... Sock hops, cars, buddies with cars, anything besides the school bus. Did you see ____? She ain't wearin' a bra? (all, close to being men, are pigs.) Did I mention Playboy? Penthouse? Oui?... anything baseball-wise BESIDES Charley Finley and the A's.

SENIOR... You mean, after this I gotta do something?  Draft lottery number. sports..English Leather .. Proms, Kings, Queens... Superlatives... I dunno, you going to college?  Yeah? Where? but, but, but, we're an item, we can't go to schools 300 miles from each other!  Goodbyes.... reflections... memories, good friends made. We didn't know, but some were lifelong, some, we'd never see again.

JUST AFTER... You mean, I don't get an allowance any more? Wasn't it Maynard G Krebs that said "WORK!!"  Some entered a lifetime (almost) life and the W2.

Some, (draft lottery #236) to college. Time between classes. Late night/all night studying. Some, faternities, sororities, maybe an 'ok' one day paycheck. Some, nose to grindstone, wonderful paying job, beep-beep, outta my way, I'm retiring in Cabo at fitty-five. Some found college not impo'tant, dropped into the W-2 world fo'er. I'm a simpleton and maybe too proud of that, impo'tant for me in college, FUN, and man did I have that.

After the after: I do's and done dids. Well, let's chase each other 'round the room tonight, and play the games we played on our wedding night. Friends. BBQ'S, couples that were friends. Hey, they've got kids, maybe we should. Uh oh. We just bought diapers MONDAY!... 3am, crying, "your turn." Mom, dad, I know it's been awhile since we ve come to visit, we've got friends going to the Lake this weekend, can we maybe drop sunny boy off Friday after work and come grab him Sunday night? Hey, that bike we bought sonny? The ones on the floor were already assembled at WallyWorld, this one's a box? The hell? (Maybe not high on the list of impo'tant, we'd be remiss to not mention from this era: tummy aches, potty training oopsies, diaper rash, acetaminophen, gallons of pedialyte, rubber duckies, poopy diapers "your turn" and, projectile vomiting.)

SOON. Hey, we're going to the Lake this weekend, join us?  Gee, that'd be wonderful but we've gotta ball tournament in Des Moines, wifey ain't feeling great so she and Susie are staying home. Few and far between: We/me moments, and theys impo'tant in this era.

DRUM ROLL..... Honey, listen...(crickets).. Sonny boy married, on his own, Susie off to college until Christmas...Well, let's chase each other 'round the room tonight, and play the games we played on our wedding night... Not tonight, I've got Bunko.. yoga... wine club.. book club...we just did two nights ago...

A bit later... Our parents are failing, it's important we be there for them... Life and the hard lesson of emptiness.

House. Yard. Garden. IRA. IRA? How is the IRA? I don't have one, I thought you started one? Oh shit. (By this age, we're practiced at profanity). The long and winding road 'tween now and Social Security, Medicare, retirement. Impo'tant: Loved ones. Savings and no touchy. Regular bowel movements, well, they are. Exercise. Reliable car(s). Church. Communication. Happiness. Friends.

Closing in on today. Worry/care/concern about aches, pains, spots, dizziness, yada... Need a knee? Hip? Arthritis? Cancer? Heart? What is the date? Dementia?

HIGHLY, HIGHLY IMPO'TANT: looking back, SO much good, fun, love had. Worries about things outta our control? Gone, like grasshoppers on the windshield at 35mph.

And even maybe a bit later...Grab bars... Coffee... The wonderful ability to text, not call.. Caller ID. Friends. Appreciation. Emotions come a little easier, and that's ok, there's Kleenex for that.

All in all...........

Life is like a Steinway in a concert hall.

It's grand, if you play it right.

That's impo'tant 

Love, Victurd

At the end of the day.....

EB, the (mostly beloved) Offensive Coordinator (we think) of the Kansas City Chiefs, almost always closes a press conference using "at the end of the day" in summation, usually it's "if we want this, we gotta do this to get it (get there)."

Usually, I love me some 'end of the day'. At this age (old) it may be a little easier for gravity to take hold as the body flops from upright to supine. The brain, seeking summation of the day, 'prints' the end of the day daily report. If the day has been yummy, oft times our peepers don't make it through the 'report' so, we'll smile over it with a cup of coffee the next morning, the Good Lord willing.

If, at the end of the day, events, ongoings, health concern, family woe/worries have been upsetting - we do just that, we sit up, and who knows when the peepers will close.

Getting there in life ain't like sitting behind the wheel of a Tesla. Come what may can and does happen and we attempt our best to respond accordingly..

So, insteada sheep or woes, I vote we lay in retrospect and count the blessings.  

I ain't, I ain't, I ain't no preacher, but I do utilize this blog to remind me how I should do it, and to not beat myself up if that ain't exactly how it goes - I am human, hear me snore.

Victor, start early in the day and grabya a gunny sack to collect the good stuff from the day. Stuff like nifty smiles your eyeballs have seen.. slip a thank you note in the sack if you had a healthy bowel movement - hey don't laugh (or take that for grunted, so to speak) it matters.

Make a list, check it twice, of all your interactions, any/everyone you communicated with (at the end of the day, be thankful and, as you view the list, have pen/paper withya to make a list of "oops, missed him/her, I'll make a point to somehow touch them tomorrow, the Good Lord willing." 

In that gunny sack, don't forget to put the tail wags, kitty purrs, stuff that made you laugh, how good that shower/bath felt to start the day anew.

Take a moment, at the end of the day - to have memory of those whose days have ended. We can kinda keep em around that way.

Ugly is just that, ugly, and it comes in all shapes and forms.  Affliction, personal pain, the pain a friend, loved one is going through. Financial woes, loved ones going the wrong direction. Divorce. Death.

At the end of the day much is out of our control.

In Cincinnati, a young man lays. Perspective (at the end of the day). Won/loss,  Point spreads,Wild card standings, turnovers, takeaways., "we shoulda (punted/gone for it) on 4th down", "we need a new head coach, coordinator, quarterback, punter, kicker, announcer, stadium...........that all don't matter.

We can add prayer to the gunny sack, to our end of the day summation.

May we all somehow make it through crisis - by keeping our gunny sacks full, and by accentuating the good, at the end of the day.

Love, Victurd