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The Daily Dose/February 7, 2010
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes from around the Human Experience...
CRUNCH TIME: We’re still not entirely sure who to root for in today’s Super Bowl. This despite the fact we've had two weeks to decide between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.
To Review: We’ve discussed this before. The Saints would be a good choice because we like their uniforms and because we toured the Superdome a few years back and we really like visiting New Orleans. Plus the Saints were really bad for a really long time so you have the novelty factor and they still have that whole Katrina deal working in their favor. Plus, there's a pretty girl we know who is rooting for the Saints. We don't know any pretty women who are rooting for the Colts.
OTOH: Boy, we are big fans of Lucas Oil Stabilizer, which we replace a quart of oil with every oil change, and the Colts home field is Lucas Oil Stadium. We started using Lucas Oil Stabilizer years ago when we started hearing some sound that someone smarter than us identified as coming from the flapper. Then we heard two neandrathals, who were fat and had greasy hands and generally gave the impression they knew about cars talk about Lucas Oil Stabilizer in the auto section at Wal-Mart and they made it sound like it was created by Providence on the seventh day so we tried it and it fixed my flapper right up.
Product Placement: If the Colts were still playing in the RCA Dome we wouldn't have this problem because we don't own any RCA Products.
In Other News: Also, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is very easy to root for. Not only is he in the middle of a career that will see him go down as one of the very best ever at what he does, but he's a good guy who doesn’t fight dogs or change his name to a number or run over people in his Bentley.
So we're stuck, more or less. On the one hand, a pretty girl we know is rooting for the Saints, but on the other hand we appreciate a smooth running car.
Yeah, Right: We could, of course, make a declaration right now, before the game is played. That’s all right for some, but we really don’t have the self-esteem to root for a team in a game as big as the Super Bowl without knowing the winner in advance, so we may well avoid making a declaration until the final, much like we did last when our Steelers - yes, our Steelers - triumphantly beat the Cardinals.
DRY, TECHNICAL ON THIS DATE MATTER: The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution - prohibiting states from being sued in Federal court by someone from another state or country - is ratified on this date in 1795. It was passed to overturn a Supreme Court decision that had allowed Federal courts to hear such cases.
FunFact: The Eleventh Amendment had been passed by Congress the previous March, and became law when North Carolina ratified it.
What The Hell's Going On Here? On this date, in 1979, Pluto moves inside of Neptune's orbit for the first time since their discovery. (This is according to the Astrophysics Science Division at NASA. Some sources differ on this date by a few days.) Neptune would remain the farthest planet until February, 1999.
While We Were Out: We didn't produce a column yesterday, but had we we would have noted that on February 6, 1685 King James II and VII became King of England, Ireland and Scotland following the death of his brother Charles II.
Royal Dry, Technical Matter: James II and VII is not the King James normally associated with the King James Bible. That was his grandfather, James I and VI. James II and VII would reign until fleeing England in December, 1688 when - in an show of family unity that makes being king so much fun - his son-in-law invaded because James II and VII had recently had a son that had replaced his wife, Mary II, as heir and the English did not a Catholic on the throne anymore.
Good Riddance: Jean-Claude Duvalier is overthrown as ruler of Haiti on this date in 1986, ending over a quarter-century of rule by the Duvalier family. Duvalier fled to France where, now divorced, he still lives.
Speaking Of Haiti: Jean-Bertrand Aristide begins the first of three terms as President of Haiti on this date in 1991. The army would grow weary of him and depose him in September but, thanks to US involvement, Aristide would return to power in October, 1994. He would also serve from 2001-04.
HOCKEY NIGHT IN VEGAS: While this column enjoys chronicling the human experience, we don't usually spend too much talking about our own personal, human experience, mainly because it is boring to the point of tears.
But last night we were at a minor league hockey game and two guys started fighting which in and of itself isn't a bulletin, of course, but after going at it for a while they stood holding each other with one hand and the other cocked and ready to deliver the Fist of Death when both said screw it and pushed each other and skated away.
We're Sure There's A Point Around Here Somewhere: No, not really. We had never seen two hockey players stop fighting like the bell had sounded, but we have column space to fill, and it's not like this happens everyday and we don't think anyone else has seen this, either.
Thought For The Day: Fortune had betrayed him for the moment, and the world had turned against him. Victory was slipping from his grasp even as he stretched out his hand to seize it. But his arm was long. - J.R.R. Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: In 1807 Chief Justice John Marshall presided over the treason trial of former United States Vice-President Aaron Burr. He was acquitted.
Today's Stumper: Name the last Super Bowl where a team making its first ever Super Bowl appearance played a prior Super Bowl champion. - Answer next time!
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