For most fans who heavily vest in NFL 2017-18, they’ve three favorite things come the holiday season: 1) A matriculatory quarteback to run their team’s offense, i.e., can move the chains & master the red-zone, 2) A defense that plays the whole 60, and 3) a head coach who values both (1&2) and won’t over-identify with players, press or sabrmetrics (See; Bill Belichick).
I’m a fan and heavily-vested myself but won’t put all my ‘favorite’ eggs in one basket (NFL – NCAA), especially when that basket puts consumers lowest on their totem-pole of valued assets. My favorite things at Christmas time are more numerous than cars that fill a 5:30p Walmart parking lot in early December.
Not “raindrops on roses” or “whiskers on kittens” mind you. I leave that kind of imagery to the talents of Mary Martin and Julie Andrews as they nurtured their youthful yodelers in the pre-War Austrian Alps: Yodel-ay-hee-hoo!
No, instead, my favorite Yultide feelings emanate largely from the traditional and classic holidays sounds of Christmas royalty like Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jo Stafford, the Sinatras, Al Hirt, Vaughn Monroe, Jack Jones, Barbara Streisand, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Vinton, Peggy Lee, Neil Diamond, Mel Tormé, Ella Fitzgerald and Gene Autry, just to name a few.
Nothing spikes the egg-nog of emotions like the music of the holiday season. There’s no other time of the year, no other genre of melodies, carols and orchestrations so packed full of cheer-ful, “soulsome (Curtis)” and sentimental sounds as the months of (late) November and December.
Sure, by month’s end we’re all pretty well saturated with the season’s messages in manger and money and then all the motoring, mingling and the melodies too (Sirius 2017 favorites: Classic: JamesGalway (flute) & ScottKritzer (guitar); Traditional: TonyBennett & Mele Kalikimaka), but as that great American saying goes, ‘better to eat too much turkey than none at all.’
My Favorite Things
♫ Mix and a-mingle in the jingling feet ♫
Sport: football, outside, daytime, frigid (15°+) and no wind. I’d not suffer even my worst enemy that bone-chilling winter breeze
Athlete: Any footballer who refuses (@ 20°+) to don sticky (cheat) gloves
NFL coach: Bill Belichick. A favorite press-conference retort in deflection Jr. reporter criticism of Bill’s non-devotion to metrics: “You (reporter) could attend Northeastern Analytics Conference, get your fill of it there”
NFL team colors: MinnesotaVikings
NFL team logo: WashingtonRedskins
NFL venue: SoldierField, ChicagoBears (1924)
NCAA team logo: Longhorns, University of Texas-Austin
Christmas film: ItsAWonderfulLife (46), RKO-Liberty, FrankCapra
Holiday song: WinterWonderland, J.Mathis (58), Bernard & Smith (34)
♫ Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♫
Voice: WhiteChristmas, Crosby – Trotter – Darby (42), Berlin
Pop: ItsTheMostWonderfulTimeOfTheYear, Williams – Pola & Wyle (63)
Rock: JingleBellRock, B.Helms, H.Garland & Kerr – Beal & Boothe (57)
Rockette: RockinAroundTheChristmasTree, BrendaLee, J.Marks (58)
Tribal: IllBeHomeForChristmas, J.Vale (64), Kent – Gannon – Ram
Guitar: AwayInTheManger, ScottKritzer, USA-in-origin, author (?)
Global: OTannenbaum, Nat King Cole (60) & Army, Anschütz & Franck
Film: HaveYourself, MeetMeInStLouis, J.Garland, Martin-Drake (44)
Duet: SteveLawrence and EydieGormé, That Holiday Feeling (64)!
Wife’s song: BabyIt’sColdOutside: Jones & Matthews (99), Loesser (44)
♫ Tiny tots with eyes all a-glow ♫
Kid: SantaClausIsCominToTown, R.Conniff (59), Coots & Gillespie
Hymn: JoyToTheWorld, PhiladelphiaBrass (67), Watt – Handel
Orchestra: SleighRide, BostonPops, Fiedler (49), Anderson & M.Parish
Aria: SheepMaySafelyGraze, BostonPops, Fiedler, J.S.Bach (1713)
Jazz: CoolYule, LouisArmstrong & Commanders, SteveAllen (53)
Original: JingleBells, Sammy Davis Jr., JamesLordPierpont (1857)
Blues: IveGotMyLoveToKeepMeWarm, Holiday (37), Stafford (56), Berlin
Humor: YoureAMeanOneMrGrinch, Ravenscroft & Geisel – Hague (66)
Warm: ItsAMarshmallowWorld, Dean Martin (66), Sigman & DeRose
Glow: RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer; Martino (64), Horne (66), Marks
♫ Thumpety thump-thump, thumpety thump-thump ♫
Hot: SantaBaby, EarthaKitt, J.Javits & P.Springer (53)
Cold: FrostyTheSnowman, Patti Page – Rollins & Nelson (50)
Hope: TheresAlwaysTomorrow, Rudolph (TV ‘64), JanisOrenstein
Waltz: Nutcracker, WaltzOfTheFlowers, Ormendy, Tchaikovsky (1892)
Interpretative: Nutcracker, DukeEllington (60), Tchaikovsky (1892)
Imitation: Carrie – KingOfQueens: SantaBaby & MarshmallowWorld
Swing: TheLittleDrummerBoy, CountBasieOrchestra, Davis
Elvis: HereComesSantaClaus, E.Presley (57), Haldeman & Autry
Beatles: HappyXmas (SoThisIs…), J.Lennon – Y.Ono & HCC (71)
Instrumental: VinceGuaraldiTrio, A Charlie Brown Christmas (65)
Chorus: WeNeedALittleChristmas, PercyFaith – J. Herman (66)
♫ Fire’s dyin’ but we’re still good-byin’ ♫
Christmas toy: TudorElectricFootball
Holiday TV: 3-way tie with RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer (64), A Charlie Brown Christmas (65) and DrSeussHowTheGrinchStoleChristmas (66)
Commercial spot: AndréChampagne, “Ring in the holidays (1970-80s)”
Holiday snack: Salt: nut (pistachio) & seed (pepitas); Sweet (cocoa 70%)
Dinner: Baked ham, twice-baked potatoes, corn niblets & chill Chardonnay
Good Cheer: Retail: BaileysIrishCream; Homemade: brandy spiked egg-nog
Holiday supplement: Boswellia (frankenincense)
Date: The day NFL votes to sever ties with Nike (Color-Rush) & TNF (ugh)
NFL Cherry Picks Week 15
Bolts @ KC: 12.16 NFLN 8:30: Chiefs
Pack @ Carolina: 12.17 Fox 1:00: Cats
Dolphins @ Buffalo: CBS 1:00: Miami
Arizona @ Washington: Fox 1:00: Cards
Philadelphia @ NewYork: Fox 1:00: NYG
NewYork @ NewOrleans: CBS 1:00: Saints
LosAngeles @ Seattle: Fox 4:05: Seahawks
New England @ Steelers: CBS 4:25: Pats
Cowboys @ Oakland: NBC 8:30: Raiders
Falcons @ Tampa: 12.18 Disney: Atlanta
Record: 57 – 45
Steven Keys
NFL HunchLine
Photo credit: NFL-symbol, wikiproject, 2011; C.Plummer, J.Andrews, wc, SoM, 1964, 20CF; Sound-of-Music-theater, M.Martin, wc.cca, 1959, T.Frissell; Armstrong, wc, LoC, NYWT, 1953; A-Charlie-Brown-Christmas, J.Flannery, USPS, 2015; Tudor-Electric-Football, wc, 1974, J.Mena; cherries, wc, B.Kua, 6.1.08; WillieWood, ToppsChewingGum, 1970
Posted: 12.15 @ 3:22pE; Copyright © 2017
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