Redskins Playoff Magic

Early in the morning of January 4th, 1992 I was roused from my slumber by the sound of the phone ringing. It was a Saturday and school hadn't started back up yet so I yawned, rolled over, and attempted to squeeze in some more sleep. It was not to be, however, as my mom poked her head into my room and let me know that the phone call was for . . . me.

This was pretty unusual - but not unheard of - so I sleepily made my way to the phone. At the other end of the line was one of my mom's dear friends, Sam, and what he had to say brought me to full awake status in nanoseconds.

His neighbors, longtime Washington Redskins season tickets holders, couldn't make it to that day's playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. They had given Sam their two tickets and he was inviting me to come along.

This opportunity came at a key time in my development. I was 12 years old and had just finished my second season of youth football. We had been living in the Washington DC area for a couple of years and I was already becoming bought into the local football team. It was cold and raining relentlessly that day . . . but there was no way I was going to miss such an opportunity!

Sam picked me up and we made our way into the District. As we entered historic RFK Stadium, they were kindly giving out yellow seat cushions to protect fans from the cold, wet bleachers.

The game began inauspiciously. The Falcons had talked a lot of talk. Deion Sanders was a particularly vocal player and there were rumors that M.C. Hammer was on their sideline to boot. The Falcons sang "To Hell With the Redskins" (a mockery of the Washington fight song, "Hail to the Redskins") and sent out 47 players to the opening coin toss.

The Redskins let their play do the talking. Rookie Ricky Ervins led a dominant running game that opened up Mark Rypien's passing game to "The Posse," (hat tip to the front five "Hogskins" for effective run blocking and solid pass protection) especially my favorite, Art Monk. Fullback Gerald Riggs accounted for two touchdowns, which was fire in the belly for this wide-eyed aspiring fullback.

On defense too, Darrell Green led a stifling performance. By the fourth quarter the Skins were sitting on a solid lead and it was becoming evident that we would be headed to the NFC Championship. When Riggs made it 24-7, effectively ruling out any potential Falcons comeback, the crowd went wild.

Someone threw one of those yellow seat cushions down onto the field. I remember it as if time slowed down for those few seconds as we all watched that cushion fall several stories to the ground. Then, suddenly, time resumed and everybody threw a seat cushion in. It was raining yellow confetti. The ref was blowing his whistle. It was pouring. It was cold. But we were going to the championship!

A quarter century later I remember that moment as if it were yesterday. That time-standing-still experience was truly magical for this young football player. I had thrown my cushion in along with everyone else but Sam held onto his and let me keep it. I still have it to this day. It's a reminder not just of that special moment, and of that Superbowl-winning season, but also of how much magic it is possible to create in the lives of children.

Thank you, Sam, for that lesson, and good luck to the Redskins today in their playoff game against the Packers!

Daniel Day Lewis

In between rewriting my PPIN (a 20-page paper that defines everything I stand for and analyzes my past to understand why) and pounding my way through the 20 cases we have to prepare for this week's course on stakeholder management, I had the opportunity to watch some movies this weekend.

Friday night I revisited a movie I hadn't seen since pre-school: Howard the Duck. I was looking for something to have on in the background as I caught up on some emails so I didn't want anything too intellectual--no worries there! This movie was just as bad as I remember it but it did bring back some memories.

Saturday I threw on Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay which was almost as bad. Again, though, I just wanted something for the background while I cooked and putzed around.

Saturday evening I settled in for a Daniel Day Lewis fix. I never really knew who he was until I saw Gangs of New York, in which I found his portrayal of Bill "The Butcher" Cutting absolutely riveting. When I saw There Will Be Blood (for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor) several weeks ago I was reminded of how much I admired his acting so decided to procure his other movies. Saturday night I watched The Last of the Mohicans and this evening I just finished My Left Foot, for which he also won Best Actor. Daniel Day Lewis only seems to surface every few years but, when he does, it is a performance worth watching.

I was glad to have some time this weekend to watch some movies--one of my favorite pastimes. Also, congratulations again to Washington Redskins greats Art Monk and Darrell Green, who were officially inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame this weekend. Hail to the Redskins!

Yay, Sports!

Although I should really be studying for Finance, I must pause and say a few words about my favorite sports teams. Today I wore an old Washington Redskins t-shirt, which reminded me that I still haven't posted about Art Monk. Monk was an amazing possession receiver for the late-80's/early 90's Redskins dynasty. He wasn't the fastest receiver in the NFL, but he was the guy you wanted on your side of the ball when it was third down. Besides, the Skins had Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders, the rest of "the Posse," for speed.

What impressed me most about Monk wasn't his playing ability; it was his class. On and off the field he was a stand-up guy in every respect. I had the opportunity to spend a little time with him at his football camps when I was growing up and I can't think of a better role model for young athletes.

Earlier this year, Art Monk was elected into the NFL Football Hall of Fame. Darrell Green, another Redskin, spent nearly two decades as the NFL's fastest man and was elected into the shrine this year as well. Although IMD is very different from the NFL Hall of Fame, I'm proud that come December I will share the distinction of "Class of 2008" with them. Congratulations, Art and Darrell and HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!

Now, on to matters of more immediate importance: Rice Baseball! My poor Owls have been struggling this season. Last weekend they broke their 40-series home win streak and this week their ranking fell to #12. That's OK, though; I'm sure they're just working the kinks out early in the season. And as you will recall from my earlier post, I'm happy as long as we beat Texas. Still, I wore a Rice Baseball National Championship t-shirt on Monday as a long-distance show of support. It worked; last night Rice beat UT in front of an Austin crowd of 6,511. I wish I could have been there--and on 6th Street afterward! Stand, cheer, DRINK MORE BEER! Go, go, GOOOOOOOO Rice!