Next weekend is the Super Bowl, the premier event of the NFL football season. The Eagles play the Patriots. However all the Saints’ fans know that’s not the way it should be. After last week’s playoff game where the Eagles destroyed the Vikings, the Saints were sure embarrassed for the Vikings. The Saints know if it were not for a last-second fluke, they would have beaten the Vikings the week before. And, of course, the Saints would have whipped the Eagles last week and gone on and beat the Patriots for their second Super Bowl win.
Oh well! If you are dreaming, you might as well make it positive. The end of the NFL season has brought some headwinds into focus. The luster of America’s Game maybe leveling off. The question of whether or not football is too physical has come to the forefront. Will the changing of the playing rules or equipment improvements help save the players from the effects of long term injuries or concussions? Or, has excitement of the game peaked? Are young folks more interested in computer games than football? Whatever the reason, the fan base is dwindling, so the advertising dollars supporting the games are disappearing too. Will it be worth it dollar-wise for the players to subject themselves to such bodily injury?
Saints quarter back Drew Brees wants to get the game away from causing long-term injuries to the players. Brees has formed a flag-football league in the New Orleans area for 6-8 year olds where kids, rather than tackling the ball carrier to the ground, they pull off a streamer attached to the carrier’s waist with Velcro. This makes football a much less physical game. Drew’s approach sounds like old-time “touch football” to JT. Things change! JT remembers the last six-man football game he saw. It was between Rayne and Gueydan in a field behind the high school. The spectators fought the mosquitoes and the players dodged the cow patties.
The teams were coached by their high school principal (an additional duty). Tailgating had not developed yet, it was mostly Jax, Regal or Falstaff.
JT got a kick out of City Councilmen Dale Nielsen and Lawrence Batiste, from left, as they inspected the “Puppy Pole” that Mayor Lee Posey appears to be lugging with him everywhere. The pole showed up at the NHDDC meeting last week and again at the City Council meeting Monday. Posey said the “puppy pole” will hopefully be an easy fix to the problem of pets leaving their calling cards in public places. JT just hopes Posey puts down the poles long enough to actually place them at the parks!
JT and new Coushatta Citizen editor Barbara Holland learned a big life lesson last week. Barbara sent an email to the Natchitoches Times asking, tongue in cheek, how to handle a press release she was unfamiliar with…..well, lets just say the humor was missed by the person who originally sent the email and got the reply that was intended for Times personnel. It was a big faux pas, oopsie and heart sinking moment when Barbara got the email back asking about the reply. A quick phone call and a heartfelt apology got things on the right track. We learned a valuable lesson, though—double check who you are sending stuff to!!! Don’t just hit reply! As you can see, it happens with phones too – LOL.
