My Football Love'n Weekend

To me one of the best parts about the extended Thanksgiving holiday is the seemingly 24/7 football you can watch on TV. Most years the games are meaningless or rather boring but this week featured 3 of the best games I have seem in a long time. First was Arkansas' 3OT thriller over #1 ranked LSU, then the 4OT defeat of UK at the hands on Tennessee. And not to be outdone the NFL had one of their best games of the year last night when Chicago came from behind to defeat Denver in OT. What a great weekend for football fans.

To top it off Wake crushed Vanderbilt on their way to their 8th victory of the season (only the 5th time in school history they have reached that mark) and back to back bowl births for the first time ever. Right now it looks like Wake will be in the bowls at either Charlotte or Nashville. Beth and I have decided that which ever game they go to we'll be there. I'm hoping for Nashville!

During my many hours of football gluttony this past weekend, I heard some announcers discussing stories of guys who can play through the pain. Which reminded me of the greatest "play through the pain" story I have ever heard....

At the end of the 1985 season in a game against the Cowboys, Ronnie Lott, then in his glory days with the 49ers, mangled his left pinky in a brutal collision with running back Timmy Newsome. Lott came out of the game briefly -- a game his team won to gain a wild-card berth in the NFC playoffs. The next week, Lott had his fingers taped so he could play -- in a loss to the Giants. Over that winter, he remained in excruciating pain. He faced the next season with an awful choice: a complicated and delicate operation in which bone and skin grafting and the placement of pins in his hand might restore full use of his hand -- or, he could have the top of his finger amputated. Choice No. 1 meant missing playing time and risking reinjury. Choice No. 2 meant missing some finger but being ready for the season. Most football fans know how this came out. Lott chose to have the top 1/3 of his finger chopped off and then went on to his third Pro Bowl season with the 49ers, leading the team to yet another playoff appearance.

Comments

Jeremy said…
Is that really the best "Play through the Pain" story you have ever heard. I thought you had another one...
Monday, 26 November, 2007
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