Thanksgiving and the wisdom of Erma Bombeck

Thanksgiving is the time to reflect with gratitude on our blessings, be they sparse or plentiful. In many homes, Thanksgiving merges the holiday with the cultural phenomena that is American football. It's phenomenal that sports fans, mostly guys, gather around the cozy warmth of the the TV, while everyone else, mostly gals, gather in the next room. That did not escape the observation of humorist Erma Bombeck!

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck

If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead. ~Erma Bombeck

Thanksgiving is like preseason training camp for football junkies. It's the first of three seasonal football orgies, New Years and the Super Bowl in February being the next two.

Here are the turkeys, er, games served up this weekend for us, the legally dead.

THANKSGIVING DAY
Joey Harrington gets to poke his finger in the Detroit Lions eye when his Miami Dolphins visit Ford Field.

Two Cinderella fellas, Tony Romo and Bruce Gradkowski, clash when the Buccaneers play the Cowboys.

The Chiefs host the Broncos to kick-off the NFL's foray into broadcasting its own product for the first time. The game will be carried on cable on the NFL Network. There are reports that this is Snake Plummer's last start as the Denver quarterback.

Tired of pro ball, or don't get the NFL Network? Boston College visit Miami of Florida in its quest to make the ACC championship game.

FRIDAY
Friday afternoon kicks-off rivalry weekend, although most of these games will be anti-climatic after last weekend's Ohio State-Michigan thriller. Still, Texas A&M at Texas, LSU at Arkansas and Colorado at resurgent Nebraska all look promising. If you can only see one game, catch LSU and Arkansas.

SATURDAY
The weekend wraps up with a number of games of regional interest. But, Notre Dame (10-1) at Southern Cal (9-1) has national import. USC has to win out for any chance to be ranked ahead of Michigan in the rigged BCS poll. The Wolverines are done until January. This will be the only occasion in their lives when they root for the Irish.

Happy Thanksgiving!
(Happy Thanksgiving!)

Football
Thanksgiving