Saturday night was the Ronin Dragonboat end of season party and this one was a little more tame than others before it have been. Got home at 1.20am - hardly out of control but late enough and certainly enough red wine to make things a little rough yesterday. Especially that last bottle of Trius Red which Kevin and I shared as we walked along Bloor Street chatting about football, Conrad Black and other things I'm sure. Thanks to Amanda and Willie for welcoming us into their home.
So I got up Sunday morning, wrapped up the Monday Morning News and decided to drive to Muskoka to watch some football, have a hard bike ride and a sauna to sweat out the impurities of the previous night. As I settled into the 1pm time slot, I was certain that I would end up watching mostly the Argo playoff game after the Bills were on their way to being blown out of Gillette Stadium, a place where they have never won since it opened in 2002. The early stages of the game featured a Bills defence which could not stop Tom Brady and an inept offence which was repeatedly penalized as they dug themselves an early 17-3 hole. Only a few more minutes before I would be free to switch to the CFL playoffs, I thought to myself and, in this the year of the 100th Grey Cup, that seemed like the right way for it to be.
But the Bills hung around and started to match the Patriots in offensive production as the game still looked competitive. When Ryan Fitzpatrick lead the team to 5-1 start last season and signed a $59 million contract extension, Bills fans began calling him Fitzmagic. But since they won in Toronto against the Redskins in October of last season, he has rightfully earned the names Shitzpatrick and/or Fitzputrid. Opponents realized that he can not accurately and consistently throw the ball down the field which leaves the offence limited to short passes, running plays, draws and screens. But yesterday, Ryan Fitzpatrick played one of his best games in a Buffalo uniform as he threw for 337 yards, completing 27 of 40 attempted passes. Thanks to his leadership and quality play yesterday, the Bills earned a team record 35 first downs and almost won the game. They would have if rookie TJ Graham had run his slant pattern in the endzone in front of Patriots safety Devon McCourty rather than behind him but he didn't, McCourty intercepted the pass and the game was over. The Argos won big before the usual small crowd which was "announced" at 25,792. A win in Montreal next week puts them in the big game.
Last Tuesday, after Ohio was called for Obama (even after Carl Rove was satisfied), the glow of victory lasted less than a day as the reality of the fiscal cliff came into focus. John Boehner was quick to reiterate his preposterous position on income tax rates for high income earners (or as Fox News calls them, the "job creators"). The battle lines are drawn and the House Republicans remain dug in - at least for now. The following day, speculation began about the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. My prediction: Jeb Bush will lose the 2016 election to Hilary Clinton and Bill will get to move back in to the White House where he belongs.
This week, we go to Buffalo for a Thursday night game against Miami. It will likely be a later night for me than Saturday was so we will need to rest up, be thorough in our preparation and just go out and do the best we can in the late night cold conditions.
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