The Great NFL Announcer Carousel

I thought about writing this a while back when first Troy Aikman, and then more shockingly Joe Buck, left FOX for ESPN, fresh off the heels of Al Michaels getting wooed away by Amazon. But I waited because I wanted to see where the dust settles - which it now more or less has with Kevin Burkhardt picking up the top FOX gig. Anyway, while this has been a crazy offseason for player movement - some incredible and shocking (Russell Wilson), to skeevy (Deshaun Watson), to cloying (Tom Brady), it arguably has been a crazier one in the announcers booth.

For so long there was relative calm in the way the sport was broadcasted. When NBC took over SNF in 2006, along with ESPN picking up MNF, it was basically status quo for 15 years. There were a few changes - most notably John Madden retiring and getting replaced by Cris Collinsworth starting in 2009, and then Phil Simms getting sidelined for Tony Romo in 2016 - it was status quo. NFC was on FOX, AFC was on CBS, good games were on NBC, average games on ESPN and quasi-shit games on TNF.

Well, that's all long gone - we're entering the wild west of who has what, and also who is announcing those games. And in each of their different ways, each move represents the end of one era and the start of a new one. The end of the networks having the main leverage, and the start of the start-ups splashing money around in ways we didn't think possible. In a weird way, ESPN probably always had the cash to steal/pay for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman - but it took until they got back in the Super Bowl Rotation, finally got their MNF flex-scheduling and seeing Amazon pony up for Al Michaels, to make it happen.

People's opinions of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman may vary (for me, by the end I was fully pro both of them) but what is undeniable is the formula of them plus two great NFC teams and that unendingly workable NFL on FOX music just equaled something special. Those three things held a special meaning, and while we still get Buck and Aikman, having them on ESPN is just different.

Even more is the idea that Thursday Night Football will be just on Amazon Prime (granted, I have Amazon Prime - and by and large its a whole lot more accessible than the NFL Network ever was), but the idea that Al Michaels is there, weirdly with Kirk Herbstreit by his side, is just hard to conceptualize.

Even more than my 'equation' around Buck, is a stronger one with Al Michaels, NBC and a great primetime game at night. Even if historically SNF games weren't nearly as competitive as they should be on paper, it also always felt like a real big game, a big moment. I really wonder if Al Michaels calling games on a streaming service will be nearly as similar. I doubt it given it will take a long time before I can associate Kirk Herbstreit with the NFL - it just doesn't make sense. Especially for Amazon to plop down what I imagine was a lot of money to get Al Michaels only then to randomly just pick a college football guy to do color?

ESPN and Amazon are all new - and credit ESPN for finally doing what they should have 16 long years ago. The various incarnations of the MNF on ESPN after Jon Gruden left were all comically bad - cresting in this past year where as much as I think Fowler, Louis Riddick and Brian Griese were improvements over their more recent predecessors, they were also way worse than the Manningcast. 

What's left though I guess is CBS, which at least is nice given how the power of the NFL seems to have shifted mightily to the AFC over the offseason. But before we close, let's give a quick cheer for Kevin Burkhardt. I remember listening to him on WFAN more than 10 years ago, when he was a part-time overnight guy every now and then. He was also the sideline reporter for the excellent SNY Mets telecast, and finally graduated to FOX work on NFL and yoeman's work as the host of the MLB postgame show. It was a major come-up, but to me he was always the underrated guy on WFAN, a smart, polished, slyly fun voice on a network with many more outsized personalities - few were as consistently cool. 

I'm glad for Burkhardt. The overall landscape of NFL on tv changed, and I personally think it changed for the worse, but if it ends with MNF getting better (even if I'm Team #Manningcast), and Burkhardt getting a big role, in the end I guess I'm ok with it.

Some March Madness Thoughts

= Let's start with Saint Damn Peters, because how else. This tournament has a chance to be more known for other things, particularly if Coach K can end his career with a win (more on that later, of course). But to me barring a Duke win, this becomes 'the year Saint Peter's made the Elite 8'. To me, they're the best Cinderella ever. We've seen a 12 seed reach the final-four, but this was the first team below a 12-seed to even make the Elite 8. And while it ended roughly, what was more impressive than the run was the fact that they didn't seem out of place. They weren't winning because of some barrage of threes or luck, they held firm and outplayed 2-seed Kentucky and 3-seed Purdue. This was, as stated, the Greatest Cinderella moment in tournament history.

= In the end we have four Blue Bloods, granted one of them is an 8th seed. I struggle to think of bluer set of Final Four teams ever. This is royalty - we're either getting UNC win again (as an 8 seed), Jay Wright getting his third title in 6 years (five tournaments), Bill Self getting an overdue second, or of course Duke winning again. There is a great storyline no matter the winner, and that is about all you can ask for. It was a wild tournament at times, with some great stories and great runs - and all with the three 1-seeds losing before the Elite 8 - but in the end you want top teams remaining.

= Kansas is a silent killer, a quiet 1-seed that just even more quietly navigated to the Final 4. They weren't always dominant, but that second half against Miami, outscoring them 47-15, was terrifying if you're everyone else. They have balance, with four or five different dependable scoring options; they play great defense without fouling. They have moxie, don't get pressed and nervous (so different than so many different Self teams). While they are the lone #1 seed, I actually think they are seen as something of an outsider here - similar to Self's only title team when Kansas was the quieter top seed of the All-1-seed Final Four in 2008.

= While I hate everything about the mythologizing of Coach K, and this run just adding to it, I will admit getting a Duke v UNC Final Four game is really great. I was surprised to realize that they've never met in the tournament, though I guess I understand why since for years they would get overseeded and therefore set apart in different regions. It would have been better if UNC was stronger, or at least better than a quasi-Cinderella 8-seed, but even then the prospect of the team that beat Duke in Coach K's last game in Cameron, ending his career to be good is a tantalizing prospect.

= Look, I hate Coach K and Duke as much as anyone that has no real reason to do so, but still it is a bit cool that they've made this run. The man has made 12 Final Fours now, and even if that rate did drop-off in his last twenty years (this is just his fourth since 2004), he's made a good deal recently of winning when he gets there (2010, 2015). This team also has no obvious hateable classic Duke frat white guy - no Grayson Allen', or Plumlee's, or Jon Scheyer. I don't even know who even comes close to that. On the whole, I want them gone well before we even get to Monday's title game, but assuming I get my wish, I do find it a nice outcome that they made a Final Four here.

= College Basketball has an offense problem - this year was more glaring than most. There were just so few well played games offensively, and while there is an annual round of hagiography on how much college teams cares about defense, generally it is just shitty offense. So many games ending with teams scraping through couch cushions to find even 50 points. Every know and then we get a game like Duke v Texas Tech that was well played and exciting offensively, but for whatever reason the scales are tipping way too far into poor offense right now

= In the end, this Final Four is mouthwatering, but I do really hope we break out long standing tendency to never have good, memorable Final 4 games - even in years that we end up having great Title Games. The only great one I can even recall by memory is 2015 with Wisconsin's upset of the to that point unbeaten Kentucky team. Few others even come to mind. But these two seem great - you just have to think Duke and UNC will play a close game. And honestly, in a vacuum you can make the argument that Villanova and Kansas are the two best teams - and get to complete a Pt. 3 of recent matches with a well played 2016 Elite 8 game, and a blowout in 2018 (again - bad Final 4 games). Let's hope we avoid that curse and can get what on paper seems to be two incredible games.

Adios Carlos

Oddly, I wasn't too depressed when I first saw the news late, late, late Friday night that Carlos Correa was signing a 3-year deal (in reality a 1-year deal) with the Twins. Honestly, I was just relieved it was over. It was basically over when heading into the 2021 season the Astros gave him a laughably bad offer (something like 6yr/$120mm) and Correa cut off talks. It was obvious for all but a couple days when Correa wasn't getting the long term he was after and was willing to put up a short deal to re-hit free agency.

No, the writing on the wall was there a long time ago, but even more than all of that, the reason I was good Correa leaving is because we achieved a lot, enough, and it was a legacy fulfilled.

To be honest, you can argue that while he became an all star and a great player, Correa never truly lived up to his ridiculous hype - mostly due to injuries. He was great, he hit a lot of home runs, he grew into a great shorstop, he did all of right, but it was never the MVP player I expected him to be. He will be missed for sure - the Astros now suddenly with a whole to fill, but while Correa the player may not have lived up to my way-too-high expectations, Correa the idea certainly did.

Carlos Correa was drafted #1 overall in 2012, a year after the Astros hit their rock bottom, a 100-loss season that wasn't even outright the result of tanking. That was just years of bad mismanagement under Ed Wade (and owner Drayton McLane). No, tanking was what was to come under Jeff Luhnow (and new owner Jim Crane). The Astros unabashedly tanked in 2012-2013. In the end it worked but there was no guarantee it would. Carlos Correa was the closest thing (that or Altuve, already in MLB by then) we had to hope. His drafting was the moment this all turned around.

The moment it crsytallized is when he was called up in 2015, after three-plus great seasons in the minors. He was a phenom that first season in 2015, a year where the Astros broke through and made the playoffs a year early. Correa was the center of attention, his being drafted being the Astros at their lowest trough, and his call-up and success the start of their greatest stretch.

Correa the symbol became Correa the legend with his performances in the 2017 playoffs, hitting a walkoff hit against the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS, hitting two huge home runs in Games 2 and 5 of the World Series. Correa was the leader of the team, despite being just 22 at the time. It set-off an incredible run of success, with the Astros making the ALCS five straight times, and two more World Series - albeit losing both.

It was a brilliant four seasons from 2018-2021, even if Correa never truly became a superstar in production. It was mostly injuries hampering him in 2018, 2019 and then an off season in the shortened 2020 campaign. But when he was on the field, he was magic, the team was magic.

Carlos Correa was the hope, was the symbol, was the first piece. Over time other pieces joined him, from Bregman to Yordan to Kyle Tucker. Enough people got to a great level that the team can probably still do well with Correa gone. I'll miss him, for sure. From the energy of how he played, to those stretches where he got white hot, do his underratedly amazing throwing arm. Carlos Correa was a fabulously fun player to follow, and I'll always have a soft spot for him and truly everything he represented, from the tangible to not. The Astros fortunes turned around when they drafted Correa, and for that alone he was always be a favorite of mine.

Re-Post: Nostalgia Diaries, Pt. 3: 2009 Sweet Sixteen Weekend

 Thought intsead of doing a big March Madness breakdown, I would re-post an old story from a time long, long ago, talking about a time even longer ago.

Most of these random games have some connection to random events in my youth. This game was at the end of my last Model UN (MUN) Conference I would attend in high school. Villanova's blowout win in the Sweet 16 was on the Friday Night of the conference. As a Senior, my role within MUN was different. I wasn't a 'leader' perse, not being an officer in the club, but I was one of the two Seniors to go on the trip, the other being my good buddy who was the club's president. MUN is an institution at my high school, and my year was, in a relative sense, not all that great. Most of my fellow seniors had dropped out of the club overtime (there was a lot of politics and drama - not too surprising for a club that has teenagers pretend to, you know, play politics) and by the end it was basically me and him. If you made a few conferences through Sophomore year, you basically stopped having to try out, and you just made it - specifically when your good friend is the club's president.

My friend and I were the technical leaders of the fun side of the weekend, including running the token game of Mafia (a staple of MUN conferences), and trying halfheartedly to steal a few beers (unsuccessful). Villanova's more dramatic game was the day we returned from the conference, an incredible game that ended with a Scottie Reynolds buzzer-beater to beat conference-rival Pittsburgh. But this game stands out because it was a great time to hate Duke and hate Duke with a bunch of other high schoolers who, for no real reason, hated Duke, during a damn fun MUN conference.

I actually remember very little about the game - as I remember similarly little about the actual MUN Conference. I have to admit I gave a half-assed effort during that Conference, there more for fun and to be a Senior with major Senioritis with an expense-paid (by my parents, mostly) trip to Washington DC with a good friend and lord over the younger kids. There is so little, in reality, separating Seniors from Juniors, from Sophomores, etc., but it was a lot of fun to actually be a Senior, to pretend to have more life experiences, more wisdom, more assertiveness. I remember forcing my way to have the Villanova game on in the TV we all crowded in to play Mafia. I had to put in on mute (compromises) but still forced it on and was giddy as Villanova blew the shit out of Duke.

Why did this game stick with me apart from just happening to be on during what was an underratedly seminal weekend of my high school career was that the buddy who was on the trip with me told me he got rejected by Duke (don't cry too much, he ended up at Brown and is now a promising doctor-to-be). That just added to the drama, as there was some personal connection to the 'Fuck Duke' of it all.

WWP South MUN mafia games were basically just excuses for the older kids (who played 'God') to make up ridiculous stories about each player who 'died', and the rest to basically make fun of each other for hours on end as they debated who killed whom. I took  my role as God/Storyteller very seriously indeed. Not really sure if I suceeded, but it was damn fun to regale this kids with my genius takes, all the while Scottie Reynolds and Alan Cunningham shat on Duke with all their might.

Quickly on the game, which I guess I should talk about a bit. Duke was a #2 seed, with largely the same roster that would win the title the next year. Villanova was a #3 in a year where the Big East ran train on the rest of College Basketball (UNC of course would win the title). Villanova started the game close but pulled away before half before embarassing Duke. It was the fourth straight year of Duke embarassments. During my high school life, they were seeded #1. #6. #2. #2, and lost in the Sweet 16 (to LSU), 1st Round (VCU), 2nd Round (West Virginia) and now Sweet 16 again. Duke's repeated failures were lapped up by pretty much everyone at my high school. This was before any of us were actually in college, of course, but still the hatred for Duke was palpable, and their crushing by Villanova was the perfect cap to 4 years of Duke infamy.

That MUN Conference ended with my buddy giving a quick speech on the bus-ride home (a standard for a Senior on the trip to do). It was a weird end to my MUN career. I had been a fairly good-but-not-great performer. I knew a lot of the club leadership over the years and used that to every advantage I could, but I also was banned for a year (on appeal shortened to 6 months). So was my buddy (who ended up club president anyway).

There is a whole story behind this, where everyone at the Conference during my Freshman year were in one room after hours, and when our club counselor came to check on my room (which we were not in), the loser in the room who was 'asleep' told the counselor we were downstairs (when we were not which he knew). When the counselor came to the room we were all in, the two Seniors told us to hide in the bathroom, exacerbating the problem. The counselor went down, couldn't find us, and eventually lost his shit and drove home (we were in Philly), leaving us the next day with the Assistant Counselor and a guillotine hanging over our heads. Ultimately everyone involved (other than the fucking rat who was 'sleeping' who lied in the first place) got banned for a year, reduced on appeal. That was my entry into the club. Three years later, in March of my senior year, I was one of the elder statesman - Irony is great in a way.

There were a lot of strings connected to that weekend that hold a tenuous connection to my current life. The buddy I was with moved out West after college and while we keep in touch, I haven't seem him too much. But we'll always have that weekend where we got to lord over the underclassmen like the cool seniors that we were most probably not in reality. It was a great weekend, a great capper to my MUN life, one of the few clubs I actually cared about in High School (not enough so to do it in college - probably a mistake in hindsight). The fact that Villanova pounded Duke into submission while I was pounding underclassmen with jokes on how they killed one of their own in Mafia was just a great, joyous coincidence.

Way too early 2022 NFL Season Predictions

 

The 10 Best Memories of the 2nd Covid Year

Last year I posted a whole bunch of Covid-related pieces around the one-year anniversary of Covid becoming 'real' in America - known as the day Rudy Gobert tested positive and the NBA shut down. March 11th 2020. As many will tell you though, more Americans died in the 2nd year of Covid, even if at times we felt things went back to normal. Not at all times - March'21 through March'22 encompassed two tremendously painful, serious, deadly variants. But it also encompassed so many moments that pointed to the world going back to normal.

Those are what I want to highlight - not the terrible moments, but the ones that showed a light. My favorite memories - all positive memories that will stay with me. We aren't done with Covid yet - Asia is having a breakout (though its likely just their turn in line to deal with Omicron), but with the low case fatality rate of Omicron, and a lot of the world deciding, to some degree, to make this endemic, we are entering the end stage. So, in that vein, here are my favorite memories of the 2nd Covid Year.

10.) Trip to India

My trip to India was perfectly timed, coming right as the country was passing its Delta variant peak, and lifting lockdown/curfew in both Mumbai and Bangalore. Things weren't normal (both had informal curfews around midnight) but it was a great trip back. It was also just great to visit family. So much of this pandemic was keeping people apart, extended families (and of course for some folks, close family) separated by the unseeable virus. For me this was true as well, and that first time meeting people directly who had such a different but still harrowing Covid experience was a beautiful moment.

9.) First night out in NYC with a vaccine pass

I'm not going to remember my first night out in NYC post-Covid, as that was during Summer 2020 in that brief low point prior to the variants kicking in. No, what I'll remember was that first time going out and having to show my vaccine card. I of course am so grateful to the brilliance of science that was the vaccine but it was sadly annoying to never really be asked to show said card. Well, that changed when NYC put its vaccine mandate into play (something I'm fully behind), and it was quite fun to show that card. Maybe it's because I've finally aged out of getting asked for an ID for drinks, getting asked for an ID again was kind of fun.

8.) First work trip (no, seriously)

I took my first flight post-Covid in April (well further up the list) but for work I remained (and remain) grounded. That changed for a quick few days back in November, getting to go to Denver for a offsite workshop our client was having. Traveling for work was an every week occurrence in the 15 months ahead of the lockdown, but then become a non-event for 20 months. When it finally ended, I honestly forgot some basic things - I had to hunt having enough work clothes at my disposal. I forgot about the liquid rule. But man was it incredible - even the process of filing my expenses was thrilling, as weird as that sounds. By the time I had my second client workshop in December in Fort Lauderdale and had to deal with a 90-minute flight delay, I was already over it but that first time was incredible.

7.) Trip to Spain & Portugal

The trip itself was great, 13 days through Spain, Portugal and Spain again, with amazing sights, incredible food and great times. I chronicled it in an A to Z after my return. The trip also marked my first time leaving the country and seeing how the rest of the world was dealing with Covid - and much to my surprise it was similar to how we were. Things were closing earlier than normal (mostly in Barcelona) but people were less masked than expected, more relaxed than expected, and it was still an amazing time. It helps that Spain and Portugal were heavily vaccinated in a still pre-Omicron world, but for thirteen days we were able to experience living in a covid world in another place alltogether, a nice reminder how joint this ordeal has been.

6.) Friend's Wedding in Phoenix

I few weddings happened in the intervening 20 months from March 2020 through to December 2021, but they were smaller affairs with a lingering "uh, are we sure we can do this?" in the air. Then in December 2021, my friend has his wedding in Phoenix which was an all out, standard wedding affair, with late nights, a lot of fun, a carefree attitude and ended with nary a hitch. He actually didn't have his wedding delayed at all (unlike my sister who has had to adjust hers like 5-6 times), but it was worth the wait to celebrate without a care in the world.

5.) Trip to Cape Town

I chronicled this trip a bit back. I made a rash of bookings in March and April 2020 when covid first struck and I needed to shift a bunch of work bookings. One of those was for Cape Town at a rock-bottom rate for Feb 2021. Of course, that was comically optimistic but somehow I was able to get a flight this Feb at a smilar cost. In the middle Omicron happened, breaking out first in South Africa, but the timing all worked, and it was an incredible trip. I went to Cape Town in Feb 2020, when Covid was real enough for us to be temperature checked. It was the last fling to some degree before covid changed the world. This was the first fling as we return back to normal hopefully.

4.) Thanksgiving with Family

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday in our extended family, it is The Holiday, and last year it was shuttered. Thanksgiving 2020 was maybe the most depressing holiday that year as it was so start to not be around our extended family. Well, by 2021 we were back in full. It was the first time many of us were meeting in over two years, a very long period in our family. It was a great weekend, specifically our Saturday Night dinner where all of us cousins prepared a multi course pot luck dinner - a new family Thansgiving tradition. It was quite a return for turkey day.

3.) Sports with Fans

I wrote about this at the time, specifically as attendance restrictions were lessened and then removed right as the NBA and NHL playoffs started last May. It was ecstasy in those opening rounds, finally getting fans in force. The best memories were that first playoff game in a sold out Madison Square Garden, or that incredible matchup between the Lightning and Panthers that ended 6-5. The return of fans continued throughout those playoffs with the massive fan rallies in Milwaukee and then the baseball playoffs with a packed Minute Maid Park (oh, what I wouldn't give for that right now if not for the owners unabashed, unending greed) and finally the NFL season. That period from July 2020 through April 2021 when we were basically fan-less was fun for a moment (just getting sports back was great) but we didn't know how important fans were until we got them back.

2.) First time taking a flight

I wrote a piece in my string of writing about the 1-year anniversary last year entitled 'The Year on the Ground', as it had been a year since March 13th, 2020, when I took my last flight back from Toronto to Newark. It was 13 months and 1 day later, April 14th, 2021, when I finally took a flight again on a trip to Arizona. This was the longest stretch without flying since college. It was such an emotional moment, really, for me that first time I heard the engines whirl and the first time I was taking off again. Flying is an incredible thing, other than maybe the internet the most significant invention in making the world a smaller place. The trip was great by itself, but that sense of taking off in one place and waking up five hours later in a desert was just incredible. I told myself then I didn't want my love and awe at the fact we can fly to go away, and it for sure won't.

1.) The first night in Winberie's, post-11pm

Look, don't take this ranking literally (I say as I literally rank these items). I don't want to come across like some sort of alcoholic here. Anyway, Winberies is the local pub/bar in Princeton that my friends and I have gone to probably 70 or so times between 2013 and 2020. Many times closing the place out very close to their listed 2am close. Well, when the place finally reopened in the fall of 2020, they did so closing at 10pm. Finally for Summer 2021 they went back to almost normal, moving last call to 1am. One of my hopes throughout this pandemic was that night when my friends and I could close that place out again with 3-4 IPAs - and man was it amazing. The world isn't back to normal, not at all - but sitting in the booth we had so many times, with the bartenders that we've known for so long, chilling and relaxing on a Friday or Saturday night was just about perfect. Here's to many more.

Re-post: The Covid Year

 I got my second Pfizer shot today.

One year ago today I was about to end my second week of working at home, still a bit unsure how long that would last. 

This whole last 12 months (15, really) have been astronomically historic in so many ways, good and (mostly) bad, but nothing is as incredible as this disease, this little impossible to see protein, infecting 20 million people in the US (at the very least), and having the scientific community find a workable, insanely-effective vaccine, and shoot over 100 million vaccine doses in arms, all within a year.

Covid has crippled the world. It may not always seem that way, with the stock market having mostly recovered and the world economy on decent footing, but it has wiped out the service and hospitality industries. It has shuttered borders in a way that hasn't happened since World War II. It has had a greater societal impact of anything since, again, World War II. It is a period that will absolutely go down in history books - a perfect 101 years after the last world-wide pandemic of this scale. And in a way, I'm happy I lived through it.

In the literal sense, I am happy that I literally lived through it - I'm still alive, and to my knowledge escaped contracting Covid over the past year-plus. I'm doubly happy my immediately family were also able to avoid it, and even in my extended family only a couple I know contracted it and they came through. I know millions of people, families, were nowhere near as lucky. That all goes without saying.

But what I mean is I am truly happy I lived through it. I detailed many reasons in alphabetical order before, and while there were pangs of sadness even in that A to Z, there is some happiness in those pangs. For every trip I couldn't take, there was a weekend at a home I could enjoy, with another Friday meal to cook and curate. For every weekend I couldn't meet friends (probably the biggest loss) there was a weekend I was with my family (including my sister & fiance), and still able to chat with friends over zoom.

More than anything, this past year taught me perspective and patience. The perspective of what really matters, and what could and should provide joy in your life. It taught me to see what life would have been like decades ago, before it was easy to get on a plane and go wherever, where your entertainment options were more or less limited to what was around you.

The largest learning on perspective is more around respect - respect on the immense power of viruses and disease, and the immense ability of the scientific community.

It is still crazy to me that this little microscopic bits of atoms was able to truly cripple the world. From one outbreak in Wuhan, literally a few dozen people getting sick all together at once, was enough to raise alarm bells. It's always amazing when you read stories about the coronavirus how just those first couple dozen people was enough for disease control centers to realize something is afoot.

It's so ridiculous to think those few dozen people would lead to a few hundered million people globally getting infected (probably what would've been a billion if not more had no restrictions been put in place). This 'silent' enemy was able to transit across the global in such quick execution, setting off a global pandemic. There is incredibly weighty power in that fact, that spread.

It's also so weighty how quickly the scientific community was able to find a vaccine. Within a year is unheard of. By March (probably a year ago exactly) the genome of the virus was isolated and shared. By May or so clinical trails had begun. By November, ironically the day after the election, initial trail results were unleashed showing the Pfizer vaccine (and soon after the Moderna one) to be amazingly effective. Nature crippled the world, science will bring it back to life.

I've long thought, and even debated with people, around what life will look back when we return to normal. I still don't know when that is but I do think we'll, some will say sadly, return back to normal as quick as allows. The example people point to is the "Roaring 20's" coming immediately after the Spanish Flue pandemic in 1918-19. A lot of people have pooh-poohed that idea given that people are generally smarter today than they were back then, but also because maybe this lingers.

I disagree to a point. I think people will be 'slow' to getting back to normal (excluding the people that went back to normal in Summer 2020 and never stopped), but once they're vaccinated, and once the risks of getting COVID are basically like getting a cold, it will return full bore. I hope I'm write, I want to be right, but what comforts me is the human is quick to adapt when they want to be.

In the end, we are a social animal, and that is the lasting impact of this past year. Relationships not made or not progressed. Interactions not had. The global isolation, the shuttering of communal society. Zoom and outdoor seating and other things made it not as dark and desolate as 'global isolation' would make it seem, but those were temporary panaceas. We need interaction, and a full year later we are so close to having it.

I'll still never forget getting the email from our client sponsor telling us we can't travel to client site. My view on the virus changed that day and has basically been the same the whole time. The final amazement I'll comment on is how we adapted. How restaurants, and stores, and airlines, quickly moved to make things safer. How our work adapted wholesale to doing everything remotely and not suffering (from an output standpoint, from a mental health....). How the world adapted to living in social distance. I'm ready for all that innovation to be torn down and negated because it isn't needed, but this past year has been one of the more educational of my life. Never again, let's hope, but let's also hope we never forget.

The As to Zs of Cape Town

I went to Cape Town this past long weekend, a fifth trip there - one that very much echoed my fourth trip over President's Day Weekend in 2020, right before Covid. This was not to say after, but definitely after the end of Omicron, and it was a joyous return to the Western Cape. One may ask why go to a place 8,000 miles away five times in a nine year span (Feb '13, Jan '16, Oct '18, Feb '20, Feb '22). Well, in 26 different ways, this is why:

A is for the Aviary Park

One of the few 'new' pieces of tourism from this trip was my trip venturing out towards Hout Bay to go the the World of Birds Wildlife Park, which was just a great, large, sprawling, park with so many incredible moments. From so many parrots, to birds so used to humans they just walk around you, to a few monkeys thrown in. The park had some incredible birds not behind cages but in covered aviaries, with owls staring at you with their huge eyes, and beautiful parakeets of every color. Cape Town is not the home for incredible fauna in Africa, but there is still some incredible wildlife here, especially in this contained space.

B is for Belly of the Beast

This single service, 25-seat restuarant in an up and coming part of Cape Town is just a perfect slice of heaven. For a truly reasonable price of around $45, you can eat just exquisitely prepared food, if not overly refined and tweezery, with just incredible combinations of flavours. Everything sourced locally, everything prepared by about six or seven chefs right in front of you, in this really touching space. Belly of the Beast has over multiple trips now become my favorite dinner in Cape Town.

C is for Cause Effect

I first went to Cause Effect in 2020, as it opened up in the foot of the Waterfront, and showcased brilliant cocktails with incredible combinations, insane presentations and dynamic performances by the bartenders concocting them. At the time I was astounded at the audacity of this place in a most commercial area. It had all the makings of a world class cocktail bar without any of the trappings or overbearing price tag of one. By my 2022 trip, it got a rank on the World's Best Bar list (#61, I figure it will be in the Top 50 fairly soon), and didnt lose any of its charm. It is a perfect place and a great addition to the Waterfront.

D is for the Dubliner

The Dubliner is an Irish Pub on Long Street that was an institution of my early Cape Town visits, particularly my trip in 2016. Overtime I got more adventurous, but there was still one last magical night in The Dubliner - my Sunday night in 2020, the last night of my trip. I was off Monday, but obviously Cape Town writ large wasn't. Well, no worry, as The Dubliner stayed open until 3am with a live one-man guitar guy who played great music, allowed people to come on stage and sing (which I did), and I ended up partying with a group of Germans all night. Long Street is becoming less a less a part of my trips (more of that in the 'L') but there are some great memories having survived a night at the Dub.

E is for Escape

I've been asked before why I keep going back to Cape Town. Going five times over a nine-year span seems ridiculous, especially on the last two occassions going for five days each time. But in my defense, there is a certain sense that this is my playground. I know what I like in Cape Town (which is a whole lot). I have not come close to losing a bit of my love for the city. The second you land in that perfect weather (I've been very lucky in that regard), you just get a smile on your face. It is my escape, my happy place. I certainly have others, but no city has that draw for me that Cape Town does and likely will always have.

F is for First Thursday

The first Thursday of the month is termed First Thursday and is basically a monthly extravaganza of festivals and art during the day and debaucherry at night. From what I gather it isn't like First Friday is something of a holiday, but there is this general sense that First Thursday is an institution. I've only directly experienced it once, in 2018, and all I can say is bars, lounges and clubs were busier on First Thursday than on the Friday or Saturday that followed. It seems clear that First Thursday is truly unbeatable.

G is for Good Hope

There's a few things on this list that were most, or only, relevant on my first trip in 2013, and this was one of them, a full day trip down towards the Cape of Good Hope. It isnt the southernmost point in Africa, but the one that most represents the meeting of the Indian and Atlantic oceans. More though was the incredible scenery, the rolling mountains all the way down, the almost Amalfi-Coast esque views of beach towns below the road and the mountains above. I went on the Cape of Good Hope tour on just my second day in South Africa, and it is still so memorable so much later. It is a must for any first time visitor to Cape Town.

H is for Hikes

The hikes abound all over Cape Town, most all centering around the rock formations of Table Mountain and the mountain range that extend southward. My two most common ones are the Countour Path from Constantia Nek to Kirstenbosch on the back side of Table Mountain, with lush green views, forest and greenery. Also its a free way into Kirstenbosch as the end of teh trail leads right into the park. The other is the Pipe Track which extends from basically the intersection of Table Mountain and Lion's Peak and goes on the other side of Cape Town, with Amalfi-coast-esque views of the beaches and towns down towards the Cape of Good Hope. Their both brilliant hikes, with such different but equally nice scenery.

I is for (p)Inotage

Yeah, sue me, I'm very much cheating here. I really couldn't think of anything with 'I' and wanted to talk about Stellenbosch. I'm not a wine person; mostly a beer one. Well, I can confidently say the one thing that Cape Town does not do well is craft beer. That's fine, they do wine really well - the hallmark being their noted Pinotage. Stellenbosch itself is also a glorious wine region, every bit as beautiful as Napa or Colchagua or others.

J is for Janse & Co

This is a sad one to right as it's now closed, though the chef & owner reopened it is a seemingly quite similar restaurant I may check out in my next trip. Janse & Co was a perfect little sot where you could pick 6-8 courses of about 15 they had, all with very South African fish and meat and ingredients. Some of the options they had here were incredible, from lamb, to linefish, to so many others. Cape Town has some incredible restaurants, but spots like Janse & Co, right in the middle of a busy street with bars and lounges, was what I liked most about its food scene.

K is for Kirstenbosch

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is a sprawling park on the back-side of Table Mountain, with an equally imposing, if very different, view of the mountain above. It's huge, with different flower sections, canopies, all kinds of flowers and lush greenery. Kirstenbosch is easily the best, most complete and exhaustive botanical garden I've ever been to. The last two times it was a spot that was used just as the tail end of the Constantia Nek hike, but still the beauty was no different.

L is for Long Street

Long Street was known mainly as backpacker and party central in Cape Town. It is still backpacker central, with a good number of hostels littering it streets. However, its status as the main party area has reduced drastically in even my time visiting, with other neighborhoods taking over for the 'rich' crowd (which given price parity, I am in South Africa). But there are a few gems that remain - particularly The Waiting Room, a great mix of R&B, Hip Hop and EDM with an open balcony next to the dance floor. I spent a lot of time there in my 2018 trip - a trip where a lot of time was alternated between The Waiting Room and the nearby Fiction, a more edm club that closed since. Beyond the rest of the places which I admit are a bit more urban, there is still just a life and energy on Long Street, to the point this time they closed the street in its busiest area for cars. It is still a special place, if one that is becoming a less constant place.

M is for Miller's Thumb

I failed to go to Miller's Thumb my first two trips there despite it being a top ranked restaurant on TripAdvisor. It had dropped to #5 or something by my trip in 2018 but I was still incisive that I must go. It's a mom and pop (literally, the pop is the chef, the mom runs the front of house), with a fairly simple concept: there's five or six African fish on a blackboard that you can order in different preparations (along with great apps, and great deserts and meat for some reason). The quality hasn't suffered at all. Cape Town itself has become something of a food paradise, but this simple establishment with its hilariously garish orange and green walls just works.

N is for Nostalgia

I have long wondered how much my love for Cape Town is the fact that it was the first place I went to on my Round the World Trip in 2013, a last minute add when I got too nervous to go to Egypt. And there is some nostalgia in there, but in reality even on my 3rd and 4th and now 5th trip, the same wide-eyed wonder of Cape Town's beauty and many joys hasn't waned at all. Of course I am still nostalgic for the true wonder and one memory in particular and a perfectly nostalgic, random one at that: walking from my hostel to the Waterfront past the beautiful soccer stadium, with Nicki Minaj's "Starships" playing, one of the songs that defined the movie Pitch Perfect which I watched on my flight from JFK to Johannesburg. These random memories of wonder and joy I hope never leave, even if I make a 10th trip one day.

O is for Ostrich and all meants

Ostrich will stand in for a bevy of rare African fauna that is all so available in Africa. From Ostrich, a great bird, to warthog, a perfectly gamey swine, to kudu, gembok, springbok and even crocodile. Cape Town was the first place I really went outside my comfort zone with meats, something I went fully into later on my Round the World trip. For opening my eyes to more interesting meats than just chicken, pork, beef and lamb (some of which Cape Town does well also of course), Cape Town gets it dues.

P is for Penguins

The Cape Town penguins live towards the south and the Cape of Good Hope, particularly in Simon's Town. This is a standard stop in any Cape of Good Hope, and was my first time seeing penguins in the wild back in 2013. I've since seen them n Patagonia, and while they were probably cuter in Patagonia, still a love affair with a small, adorable little flightless bird stated in Africa. I've since focused a lot of my souvenir buying into penguin-esque figurines and linens, which admittedly is silly, but then again just look at a penguin and try to resist.

Q is for Quay Four Tavern

On my first trip in 2013, I was hesitant the first few days to go exploring too far away from teh Waterfront, whose first-world charms were a better match than Long Street. The place that got me to lose my shackles a bit was a night at Quay Four Tavern, which is right in the middle of the waterfront. I went there for dinner and beers as they had live music and a Real Madrid v Barcelona match playing (Real won, 3-1). It was there I met a group of Cape Towners who invited me to a night out on Long Street, and a further love of the non-Waterfront areas began.

R is for Reset (RIP)

The first time I went to Reset, a techno/EDM dual-level club in heart of Cape Town was not by direct choice. No, it was a few French guys taking me there after consoliing me for losing my phone in the The Waiting Room (I got it back). It was great then. I actively went twice on my trip in 2020 and it was great that time as well. Never too crowded, never too expensive, with a great vibe and great music. Sadly it seems to have closed for good, and while there are decent alternatives (Modular is a particularly decent one) none will touch the mix of refinement and fun that was Reset.

S is for Signal Hill

My pick for the place with the single best views on earth (that is reasonably easy to get to - so not like in the Himalayas or something) is Signal Hill. Precisely because you see the sprawling city below you, you see Table Mountain in all its glory above you, you can see down towards the Cape of Good Hope and of course the vast expanse of water that is the Atlantic Ocean. It is also my pick for best sunset I've ever seen, as you can watch the sun slowly descend over the Atlantic. The only downside is it gets so crowded unless you've hired a car getting an uber back will be tough. But still worth the effort for breathtaking views in every direction.

T is for Table Mountain

In five visits to Cape Town, I've taken the trip up Table Mountain twice - so half as many times as visiting Signal Hill. And personally I think that matches that Signal Hill is a better view - mainly because the view there includes Table Mountain in it. Table Mountain is such a perfect natural structure, just everpresent among Cape Town, visible from basically every part of the city. It welcomes you both when landing from the air or in the drive into the city. Almost every great, common hike is on, around or through it. The view from teh top is famous and worth doing for sure, but to me this plainly incredibly beautiful natural structure is best viewed from below, with all its splendor.

U is for United

I just want to thank my lovely United Airlines for starting their Newark -> Cape Town direct flight back in Nov 2019, which has made it so much easier to get there. That flight was usually just in the US winer but of course didn't run from Nov '20 - Mar' 21 due to the pandemic. With Omicron hitting worst in South Africa in Nov '21 I was very fearful it wouldn't come back. But it did, and it was full both ways. And it's glorious. Quick fact - it is also the route with the most time spent over water. Basically from ten minutes post takeoff in New Jersey to five minutes before landing in Cape Town, you are over the Atlantic. Truly stunning stuff.

V is for V&A Waterfront

It's hard to truly describe what the V&A Waterfront means to me in terms of my love of Cape Town. I've probably spent more time there than any other place. I usually stay near it and probably have spent time roaming around it every single day. From the incredible views, to the great shopping, to the food markets, the cocktail bars, the great restaurants, the great buskers and the incredible joy of life. The Waterfront is commercial sure, but in every way it is the best type of commercial and posh. It is just an incredible place.

W is for the Watershed

The Watershed is in the Waterfront, but got added by the time of my second trip and has remained a constant for the Waterfront, and for me too. I almost exclusively buy my souvenirs from there because they have a certain quality - mostly art, linens, etc. Yes, it is more expensive than the Greenmarket or even the Neighborhoods Market mentioned earlier, but there is a known quality that keeps me coming back. It is a great time waster as well - one of the jewels in the Waterfront itself.

X is for Xcellent weather (yeah I'm cheating here, but sue me)

The most consistent aspect for Cape Town for me has been the unbeatable weather. Granted I've always gone either in their summer (Jan '16, Feb '13, '20 & '22) or late Spring (Oct '18), but I think in the 23 or so days I've been in Cape Town now it has rained a total of two days and was even cloudy for maybe two more. It's generally been incredible pleasant weather and more often than not a perfect shade of blue in the sky. Just look at that picture, taken in my 2013 trip, of what we're talking about.

Y is for Youth Hostels

The first two times I went to Cape Town I stayed in Youth Hostels - first the Altona Lodge in 2013, and then the Sunflower Stop in 2016, both n the Greenpoint area (close to the Waterfront). These were throwbacks to a time where that was how I largely traveled. Never again, in a sense, as I've never stayed at one on a solo trip since the 2016 trip. I enjoyed my time there, did meet some interesting people, but also I'm somewhat glad I've left that world behind. Even if I don't go traditional staying at AirBNBs the last two times.

Z is for Zero Regrets

Honestly, I'm sure with more time I can come up with a better one, but I've used 'Zero Regrets' for my 'Z' quite a few times so why stop here, because through five trips I have no real regrets. There are certain things I haven't yet done, but those I probably never will, such as a tour of a township - if I were to do this I would rather do in Joburg, and I truly reject that type of tourism having seen people do it in India in the slums. Anyway, Cape Town for me is a perfect place. I think at this point, having gone on five occasions and still loving every moment, has me put it at #1 on my favorite cities list next time we do this, ahead of Madrid. Cape Town is about as perfect a place, and I'm happy that 

Ranking the last 25 Super Bowl Jersey Matchups

25.) Super Bowl XL - Steelers (A) vs Seahawks (H)

Yeah, it's fair to say at this point the Seahawks uniforms from 2000 - 2011 were just not good at all, especially the mono-blue version. Here it ruins what otherwise is a magical Steelers home jersey. Still, that magic is nowhere enough to outweigh just how bad the old Seahawks uniforms were.

24.) Super Bowl XXXIII - Broncos (A) vs Falcons (H)

The Broncos white uniforms are perfectly fine but not great, and the Falcons black uniforms at that time period are maybe the most boring, milquetoast and forgettable uniform of all time. It's fair to say it wasn't actively bad like the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL but it is very forgettable.

23.) Super Bowl XXXVI - Rams (A) vs Patriots (H)

The Rams took a far better uniform that was in the Super Bowl two years earlier and fucked it up by going metallic. The Patriots also metallic-ness didn't help at all. The Patriots of course made the Super Bowl a bunch in this stretch and this one was the first but also to me the worst just because even here we had a lack of contrast.

22.) Super Bowl XXXVIII - Panthers (A) vs Patriots (H)

Hey, it's the Patriots navy look against another quasi-metallic uniform, this time with the beautiful teal. The panthers would make the Super Bowl again and wear their better dark uniform. This was just another boring one.

21.) Super Bowl XXXV - Ravens (A) vs Giants (H)

I honestly may be being hard on this one but I just don't think they paired well together. This is basically also the worst combination these two could have put on the field against each other. The Giants road whites vs the Ravens purple would ahve been far, far better.

20.) Super Bowl 50 - Broncos (A) vs Panthers (H)

I said I prefer the Panthers black uniforms, but they're still not 'good' by any conventional measure. I do have to say it is odd I have this ranked so far above the Broncos v Falcons game which was quite similar, but I like the teal which pops out fairly nicely against the black and gray here.

19.) Super Bowl LV - Buccaneers (A) vs Chiefs (H)

I'll just state I find the Buccaneers uniforms bad in general. Their reversion back to this look from their weird Winston-era uniforms is commendable, but it's still not a good look. It's hard to make the Chiefs game look bad but this came fairly close. I do have to say, generally the Super Bowls in this era have been good looking.

18.) Super Bowl LI - Patriots (A) vs Falcons (H)

It's hard for the Falcons to rank too highly even if here their red uniforms are far better than the black ones they wore earlier against the Broncos. The Patriots white uniforms aren't so great by themselves but they have more often than not contrasted well against their Super Bowl opponents.

17.) Super Bowl XLIX - Patriots (A) vs Seahawks (H)

Such as this one! Granted, even in their newer version the Seahawks mono-blue isn't as good as their road uniforms (up next), but once again the contrast is reasonably nice here.

16.) Super Bowl XLVIII - Seahawks (A) vs Broncos (H)

The Broncos orange is a great look overall, a nice compromise of the nostalgia of the orange crutch days, and the more modern design. The Seahawks whites are a far better look thean their blues. This was a disaster of a game, and even the Seahawks whites aren't a 'great' look, but overal this was a nice looking game.

14-tie.) Super Bowl XLII & XLVI - Giants (A) vs Patriots (H)   

The Giants road whites are a modern classic, even if they feature shockingly little blue. Honestly all of their Manning era title playoff games were in blue, and all looked great. It also has a great contrast here between their whites and the Patriots dark navy uniforms. These are the only two Super Bowls where they were their blues where I thought they looked good. I guess no surprise it is the two they lost also.

13.) Super Bowl XXXVII - Raiders (A) vs Buccaneers (H)

As far as Bucs uniforms go, I far prefer the actual red ones than the white and the Raiders white uniform is about as perfect a uniform as you can imagine. The Bucs better jersey still drags it down somewhat, but it is hard for me to rank a game featuring the Raiders any lower than this.

12.) Super Bowl XLIII - Steelers (A) vs Cardinals (H)

I don't know man, it just works. The Steelers whites are about as good as the Raiders whites. The contrast is excellent. The reverse (Steelers black vs. Cards whites) probably ranks way lower but this is about as good as you can get with a non-tradtional look like the Cardinals involved. 

10-tie.) Super Bowl XXXIX & LII - Patriots (A) vs Eagles (H) 

I just love the Eagles green uniforms. I get that people prefer the Kelly green look but the dark green is a classic and plays really well against the Patriots whites. Both were great looking games, particularly the second where the brightness of the dome accentuated both metallic tints well.

9.) Super Bowl LVI - Rams (A) vs Bengals (H)

Honestly, it just works. The brightness of the yellow and oragne. The Rams whites giving a nice throwback to their 1999 Super Bowl (still to come). The Bengals wearing by far their best look. This game could have been so much worse if it was reversed (the Bengals may have the biggest gap between home to road look) or if the Rams wore their grey, theoretically standard road look.

8.) Super Bowl XXXIV - Rams (A) vs Titans (H)

This Rams uniform is a classic (so of course they change it next year) and the contrast between their yellow and the Titans multiple blues worked really well. The Titans uniforms were underratedly good in my opinion. It's hard to explain but I think this aged really well also.

7.) Super Bowl LIII - Patriots (A) vs Rams (H)

Well, look at this I think this 'throwback' of the Rams is a certified classic also. The contrast is excellent. The look of the game is fantastic. So sad that the game itself was a huge dud as this matchup deserved better. And at long last we're through with Patriots games.

6.) Super Bowl XXXII - Packers (A) vs Broncos (H)

The Packers are a great looking team in almost any setting - though I slightly prefer their green look. The Broncos blues always seemed to me a bit underrated. For a game that is 25 years old, it holds up surprisingly well and seems almost like a uniform matchup that would play very much the same today.

5.) Super Bowl XLVII - Ravens (A) vs 49ers (H)

The Ravens still weren't in purple, but that 49ers red uniform is just fantastic. So glad they went back to that version of their look around 2010. It was also a great contrasting game as we get the contrast with both the red v white and the gold v black. Just a really good looking game.

4.) Super Bowl XLIV - Saints (A) vs Colts (H)

As much as I would love to dispel the game from my memory, I can't deny that it looked incredible. The Saints whites are a really sharp look with their gold, and the Colts blues are one of the last remaining untouched uniforms (unsurprisngly the top of this list has many of them). It was a stunningly sharp matchup.

3.) Super Bowl LIV - 49ers (A) vs Chiefs (H)

Just a beautiful matchup. Yes there was a lot of competing reds, but the Chiefs home look is great and the 49ers road look is probably my 2nd favorite road set overall (after the Raiders). It's rare for a matchup with such similar colors to still look like a great contrast but somehow this one did so.

2.) Super Bowl XLV - Steelers (A) vs Packers (H)

I mean do I even need to explain how good this looks? The only knock is the yellow on yellow pants but the Packers green might be the best home uniform in the league, and the Steelers are a great looking road team (though their home blacks are slightly better in my book). This is the rare matchup on this list that would've looked just as good in the reverse combination (Steelers blacks vs Packers whites - same I would say for the ones at #3 and #4 as well).

1.) Super Bowl XLI - Colts (A) vs Bears (H)

Two legendary looks that would have fit right in place in Super Bowl I or some pre Super Bowl Unitas vs. Chicago matchup. The Bears dark uniform is one of the best, most iconic in the league, as is the Colts whites. Again, this would have looked good in the reverse combination, but this was just perfect, with the rain adding just a little bit more shine to it as well.