I Guess there really is no Rodgers Rate

Writing wasn’t going to happen yesterday (Sunday) evening. I started typing a status as is tradition, but as we know, the weekly write-ups are few and far between. And candidly, my fingers stopped moving after the second sentence about the tough loss.

But after having today to let those thoughts breathe, it was easier to dive back in. What’s funny about writing vs. blogging, is I feel like sometimes I navigate away from the sports world to analyze the big picture stories. I love doing both. I appreciate and emulate the Jason Gay’s of the world. Russell Westbrook is the only NBA player I’ve told in person “I emulate your game.” And he responded well. My email to Jason gay a couple weeks ago applauding his piece didn’t receive the same smile.

Look, it was NFL championship Sunday. Fans were in the stands, Brady and Rodgers were on the field, and there were no bars in New York open to watch the game in. Not that we would have gone because two beers these days feels like five shots – but you always want that optionality. We are all being challenged – situationally, socially, mentally, physically. Which is why any time there is a chance for a big win, and you come up short, it hurts that much more. LaFleur (coach of the Packers) was almost tearing up in his postgame interview. And look, you LOVE that emotion, how much he cares. But if we’re sitting in a non-covid environment, I just don’t think that happens.

Coach K was the other covid case study of the weekend. He ripped a freshman apart for asking a totally fair question during the postgame interview after a tough loss. And yes, a Coach K team has never been 5-5, but even still, the reason Coach K responded as he did was because of what he (along with all of us) are experiencing in our own way. Face coverings when trying to dictate with your voice, distancing from a group of guys who are supposed to feel like family, and having games cancelled left and right along the way.

For some reason, old adages stick. They’re around forever, they apply to a lot of situations, and they make a lot of sense. And even though the saying “the last mile always feels the longest” can apply to running, or a road trip, or the last 2 minutes of the 30 minute drive right when you make that turn into your neighborhood. That’s the stretch we’re in. And when you’re in that stretch, every moment is harder. And feels more important.

And that explains LaFluer’s tears. And Packer nation being so upset. And Coach K uncharacteristically questioning a harmless Duke freshman. It is natural. Not wrong, but natural.

Something felt right about Rodgers vs. Mahomes in the Super Bowl. The title of this could have been “Super State Farm Bowl” and maybe it would have talked about how we have a Chiefs banner and a Packers banner in the playroom in our house (mom’s from Kansas City). But as another one of those famous sayings go – the only thing you can expect in life is the unexpected.

And some things never change – Brady is in the Super Bowl, Bill Walton is talking about cultural gatherings in Arizona during the U of A broadcast, and commercials are still bringing smiles to our faces (Progressive and Microsoft Surface are top-notch right now).

But things are changing – Super Bowl Tickets are $10,000 minimum rather than $1,000 (except for the free tickets for the 7,500 healthcare workers), Budweiser isn’t airing an ad for the first time in 75 years in order to educate about the vaccine, and the ‘mall’ on U of A campus that would usually be flooded with enthusiastic twenty-somethings is one of the most technical covid testing sites in Tucson.

The problem with this post is there’s no real conclusion. Because right now we don’t see the end of the race. We feel it, maybe. But don’t see it. So until that happens, each moment and each day will feel bigger than they really are.