It grieves me to report on the national level, Everything seems to have gone straight to the Devil. The wars in the Middle East have lasted too long, Incompetence of our leaders is like a country song. Solyndra and Fast and Furious, these things are criminal, The corruption in Washington is truly seminal. Fifteen trillion, I say, that’s quite large. Fifteen trillion, I say, who’s in charge. I think there’s a solution, but we have to be stout, Do what’s best for our country and throw the bums out. Christmas came early in 2011, It happened in St. Louis, it seemed like Heaven. Tony was so jolly, all dressed in red, Yaddie, Albert and Carp all pulling the sled. The miracle in St. Louis, it was hard to believe, They pulled the win out of their sleeve. To the top of the fence, then over the wall, Freeze dashed away, dashed away, dashed away all. Mary and Blanche are 96 and 94, Their bodies aren’t that willing, but their spirits still soar. Mary lives with daughter Karen, who supports every night, Blanche has son Will close, who keeps everything right. We overdosed on travel, but February was great, Disney World, Ledbetter Golf and Missy at a pleasant rate. But June thru August took its toll, our suitcases were never stored, Myrtle Beach golf to RAJA in C’Ville, there was no time to get bored. Then the family reunion in Branson, Missouri, turned out to be a cool fit, We ate and played, we laughed and shared, and Silver Dollar City was a great hit. So we made it to August, but no time to snooze, We joined the Holdaways on an Alaskan cruise. This was the best, mucho glaciers and whales, Each time more exciting as we retell the tales. A 55th high school reunion finished the trek, Three months of exhaustion, but what the heck. We saw great friends and family, it was like a spell, Too bad Jack’s golf game simply went to Hell. Most grandchildren entered the college years, We remember the fears, or was it the beers? It’s Central Florida for Tyler and Kristin and Josh at Virginia Tech, Brandon’s at Northern Arizona, the teachers must be a wreck. Grant is working a computer gig, that’s tedious but provides a need, Jack’s our only middle school child and he’s growing like a weed. Thanksgiving in Roanoke with Paul and Sandy, The feast was fantastic, the warm feelings just dandy. Another Crystal Cruise before the end of the year, The Mexican Riviera, I know that sounds queer. But we’ll be home for Christmas, the tree’s already up, We’ll be toasting our dear friends with an overflowing cup. So to all our loved ones at this special time of year, Have a blessed Merry Christmas and Happy New Year cheer.
It’s that time again for my Christmas Poem. Please enjoy.
Christmas Commentary – 2011
A year of good news and bad news I publish in haste,
The clock is running, I have no time to waste.
The Rices are well, a year older and wiser,
Carole in her robe and Jack in his visor.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Jack and Carole
Written by PJ Rice at www.ricequips.com
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Redskins – One More Stinking Loss
Monday’s headline in the Washington Post sport’s section read “For Redskins, Tough Losses.” The article on the game’s loss mentioned we gave up three touchdowns in the 4th quarter. The problem with the Redskins’ game plan in the 4th quarter was that they weren’t trying to win, they were trying not to lose.
At the end of three quarters the score was 13 – 13. With about 10 minutes and 30 seconds left, we pinned the Jets back on their 11-yard line. The defense held and after three plays, the Jets were punting from their own 20. Banks ran the punt back for the Redskins and guess what? We had the ball on the Jet’s 31 yard line! Just 31 yards from a touchdown. But rather than try to score, we went into a shell. I said to my wife, “We aren’t trying to score, we are just positioning ourselves for a field goal.” We ran the ball three times, gaining very little and then kicked a 46- yard field goal. That gave us a three point lead.
I am satisfied that not going for a touchdown on that series destroyed our chances of winning. The Jets came right down the field and five plays later, we were behind. Then, our uphill battle went to hell in a hand basket.
My problem is who is in charge? Who decided that three points would do, when everybody watching knew we needed a touchdown. When you go for it, is there a chance that a pass will get intercepted? You bet. There is also a chance for a touchdown. In the words of the state lottery, you need to play to win!
I am a board certified, level 7, armchair quarterback and kibitzer. From my years of observing, I have determined that if you pass on running downs and run on passing downs, you will have more success than doing the obvious. Against Seattle, we did pass on running downs and we were quite successful, but I didn’t see much of that against the Jets.
I think that the owner, Dan Snyder, is a big part of the problem. He has done some really stupid things like firing Marty Schottenheimer after one 8 and 8 season in which Marty won his last five games. And who did Snyder hire? He hired the “ball coach,” Steve Spurrier (12-20), who is probably a decent college coach (probably also a good high school coach), but he turned out to be a rotten pro coach. Another disaster falling on the shoulders of Snyder is the hiring of Jim Zorn. Jim was a nice guy, but had no business being a head coach (12-20). After six games in his second season, Snyder stripped Zorn of his play calling duties. Snyder could have fired him rather than humiliating him. But that might have cost Snyder more money. If he could get Zorn to quit, he could save some money. Never mind what this stunt was doing to the football team. As long as Snyder is making money, I don’t think we can get rid of him.
I am not a big Shanahan fan. He was 6 and 10 his first season and probably won’t be any better this year. But firing the coach every two years doesn’t seem to be the answer. Who knows, things can’t get much worse. Give him a couple more years to put a team together.
Of course the headline regarding “tough losses,” also referred to our two players (Trent Williams, starting left tackle and Fred Davis, starting tight end) who have been suspended for the rest of the season for smoking pot. They were tested three times over an extended period and failed the test each time. They both knew if they failed the third time they would be suspended, but they did their thing anyway. I love Thomas Boswell’s line about it in the Post where he said, “Sometimes a drug test is really an IQ test.”
Written by PJ Rice at www.ricequips.com