Good looking out...

The Superbowl was today... Steelers VS. Cardinals. I don't follow football much during the season, but I do enjoy catching the Superbowl because it's usually an opportunity to get together with friends. We get to chat, talk trash, laugh, eat, drink, and all the other fun stuff. I don't have a favorite team but I do like Brett Favre... there's just something about the guy... so I usually found myself rooting for whatever team he was on and the team he's on now. Otherwise, I don't care who wins or plays against each other... it's really to be with friends. This year was different though... my good friend Taine passed away and he was a die-hard Steelers fan. At his funeral, someone bought a Steelers cap and put it on his coffin, which I thought was a really nice gesture. When I heard they were in the playoffs, I was really rooting for them because Taine would have been. Then the Steelers make it to the Superbowl... that's pretty damn cool... then they win the damn thing. I'm not religious at all, but I can't help but want to believe that somehow, Taine had a hand in this. It's like it was his way of being with us as we watched the game today. I miss my friend.

On a different note... as much as I came in rooting for the Steelers, they were acting like a bunch of cocky jerks on the field during the second half, which I didn't care for... then I found out about the Cardinals star receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. Everyone was saying how great of a receiver this guy was and sure enough, he made some great catches and played a good game. That's not what struck me the most though. It was when I was informed that he makes $40 million for four years and his teammate (Boldin, who isn't anywhere as good of a player) started complaining and wanting out of his contract because he wasn't being payed as much. Fitzgerald was reported as ripping up his contract to renegotiate for less pay to pay the difference so his teammate could make as much money as him in order for the guy to stay. Wow... I didn't know people like that existed in American "stick-and-ball" sports. Although I think it sucks for Fitzgerald to have to do such a thing, it's also a great thing because it should be a wake-up call to all those cocky, self-absorbed, overly-paid, overly-macho athletes out there... it should help them realize what a REAL role model actually is. If I were Boldin, I'd be so embarrassed and ashamed of myself... I wouldn't allow Fitzgerald to do such a noble thing... be grateful for the amount of money I'm making and shut the heck up! But that's the state of our country... the state of the kind of society that we breed... Fitzgerald, to me, is awesome. If there were more people like that in the world, it'd be that much better of a place to live in. And everyone could benefit from a better place to live in. I still like Favre... but I'll be keeping an eye on Fitzgerald for sure.

I really wanted the Steelers to win for Taine... but inside, I also wanted the Cardinals to win because they had Fitzgerald and they stayed strong throughout the game... even after they were being pounded on. In the end, the Steelers won and I know Taine's got a big old smile on his face... and that makes me smile too.