NFL Cherry Picks W15: ♪ Oh By Gosh By Golly, It’s Time For Favorites & Football Folly ♫

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

NFL15 Minute Waltz: “Gang-Way!”

Look Alive!

It’s what sets hearts aglow and spirits a rockin’ more than any other holiday treat.

The lights, they’re terrific. Strung on the Christmas tree, draped on shrubbery or the candled menorah, the glimmer & glow is a joyous sight to behold.

Religious ceremony and family bonding, be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Hindu (Ganesha) during this time of year is a central component to the lives of 100s of millions around the globe.

The buying & gifting habit, like the succulent & savory holiday foods & drinks we ingest with glee, has spread worldwide as it were an army of missionaries or political ideologues spreading the word. “Hail, (consumerocracy)!”

But it’s the holiday music, pop and religious chart-busters, which imbue us with the spirit of the season like nothing else can. Everyone has their favorites and everyone, it seems, has gotten into the act, be it bands, solos or symphonies.

There’s Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Percy Faith and his orchestra, Lena Horne, Burl Ives, Eartha Kitt, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Rod Stewart, The Chipmunks and even super actress Angela Lansbury joined the fun.

Some of my topper tunes: ♫ Jingle Bell Rock (Beal & Boothe)), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Martin & Blaine), Winter Wonderland (Bernard & Smith), and sound-tracks to both TV specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Marks & Laws ‘64) and A Charlie Brown Christmas (Guaraldi ‘65) ♫: Toe-tappers and heart-string tuggers.

And every year there are a handful of holiday songs selected from the hundreds of choices by corporate programmers that, for whatever reason is a mystery to the listening public, come on like gang-busters.

In Holiday 2015 it’s Toyland (Herbert & Brumer), I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Berlin) and Marshmallow World (Sigman & DeRose) that’re getting the super spins and charging hard into our hearts.

NFL’s no different.

These teams are definitely on the holiday hop, pushing through the crowded field of contenders and shouting, ‘outta’ the way, we’re coming through!’ And are they ever, for now. Remember, this is 2015, where nothing is as it appears.

Fans had their backs turned on these teams and for good reason.

Some started slow as molasses but then warmed up to find their groove, others jumped out of the blocks, fell behind but have now found their second wind and are pushing through to the front.

New York Jets

An early pace-setter (4-1), Jets lost steam (1-4) with their W7 trip to Foxborough (L 23-30) but got it back (3-0 (O: #9 / 10; D: 5 / 9) and will be tested with their final three (@ DAL, NE, @ BUF) as they battle PIT and KC for the wild card.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are the rollercoaster in 2015: Lose a few, win a few and so on. Consistent in being inconsistent. But more recently they’ve been riding upward (4-1 (O: #2 / 5; D: 23 / 10)), besting rival Cincy as Dalton went down with a good remaining slate (DEN, @ BAL, @ CVD).

Seattle Seahawks

Looking now like the Super Bowl Seahawks we’ve come to know the past few years after starting similarly to the Steelers (up & down), this is a team nobody wants to face come January (O: #5 / 6; D: 2 / 3). It’s the Carroll-ing time of year.

Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs are clear front-runners for this season’s bipolar-award winner: The lows are lowly (1-5), the highs are simply splendid (7-0). When all-purpose RB Jamaal Charles went out (W5 – ACL), all looked gloomy. But one door closes, another opens up and it’s leading the Kansans to a land of opportunity with slightly favorable schedule.

Washington Redskins: 6-7: Have gone 3-3 the last six which is actually a good rate for the NFC East in 2015
Philadelphia Eagles: 6-7: Coach Kelly was getting cat-calls but Philly’s 2-0 since, making Chip chipper
Oakland Raiders: 6-7: Recent road win @ Titans and Denver are keeping them in the AFC playoff hunt
New York Giants: 5-7; This was posted pre-MNF and I’ve tabbed Miami, but I’m all wet in 2015

Steven Keys
Macro Sport
Photo credit: NY.Jets.plane, wc.cca, aeroprints, 6.27.14; TheQuietMan, 1952, Republic, wc; B.Crosby, RoadToSingapore, 1940, wc; NFL-symbol, wikiproject; NY.Jets, 11.16.68, HoF, Heidi.game.program, wc; R.Wilson, 12.29.13, L.Maurer, wc; K.Cousins, 7.31.12, wc, K.Allison; macroecono, lamcasinoroyal, 2011, wc.cca;
Posted: 12.14.15 @ 1:45pm EST; Copyright © 2015