No teleprompter.

No script.

Whatever you think of his message, this is a great communicator.

It’s too bad he’s not running for president.

PART I

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g05ouBZY6o8

PART II

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG4EtC7oA6k

Here are some fun facts.

Tom Brady was pressured on 18% of his dropbacks in the post season. Eli Manning 39%.

As I’ve said many times, I’ve never seen a QB get more time than Brady gets back there.

Brady completed 33% of his passes under duress. Manning 53%.

I’ve also said many times that I think Brady is a great quarterback, but I don’t think that he handles pressure in the pocket as well as most other great ones.

Brady has 10 interceptions in his last six post season games.

He has two three interception games in the post season and the Patriots have won both of them. That’s really bucking the odds. In the NFL, when you throw three interceptions, your chances of winning are about 20%.

Final NY 24 NE 21.

Toast.

1:05 Kevin Gorman Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recruiting expert. (Today is national signing day in college football.)

1:30 Kerry Byrne of Cold Hard Football facts from Indianapolis with a Super Bowl preview.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-qER0vQwgg

httpv://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?intcmpid=nhl-hp-vidchn-highlts

She’s a good name for you to know if you are one of those people walking around with the idea that George Bush should be blamed for 9/11 and the economic collapse.

Turns out Gorelick played a major role in both, made millions of dollars in the process and is being considered by Obama for FBI Director.

She’s famous for putting up the wall between the CIA and the FBI and possibly  preventing the 9/11 plot from being uncovered and she encourged Fannie and Freddie to make more stupid loans so that they could be bundled and sold as securities –the cause of the collapse of the housing bubble and the economic meltdown.

“In 2001, Gorelick made the annoucement that Fannie was buying subprime loans encouraged by the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and bundling them as securitized financial instruments. Securities made from bundles of guaranteed mortgages were to contribute to the economic collapse in 2008. (H/T CNSNews)

“Fannie Mae will buy CRA loans from lenders’ portfolios; we’ll package them into securities; we’ll purchase CRA mortgages at the point of origination; and we’ll create customized CRA-targeted securities,” she said in 2001. “This expanded approach has improved liquidity in the secondary market for CRA product, and has helped our lenders leverage even more CRA lending. Lenders now have the flexibility to use their own, customized loan products.”

In remarks before the American Bankers Association on Oct. 30, 2000, Gorelick explicitly how the procress would work and what Fannie Mae would do to make it feasible for banks to lend to low-income applicants.

“We will take CRA loans off your hands–we will buy them from your portfolios, or package them into securities–so you have fresh cash to make more CRA loans,” she said. “Some people have assumed we don’t buy tough loans. Let me correct that misimpression right now. We want your CRA loans because they help us meet our housing goals.”

 

She also doctored the records at Fannie Mae to make it possible for her and several other executives to get bonuses. Her’s was worth $800,000.

“Here’s another “fun” Jamie Gorelick story.  She was a member of the 9/11 commission but did not share her “wall memo” with anyone until, Attorney General John Ashcroft was blasted for the “wall” while he was testifying before the 9/11 commission and said:

“Although you understand the debilitating impact of the wall, I cannot imagine that the commission knew about this memorandum, so I have declassified it for you and the public to review,” he said. “Full disclosure compels me to inform you that its author is a member of this commission.”

 

Maybe we’ll know more after Sandusky goes on trial.

Everybody should remember that, after Mario Lemiuex went through at least one major back surgery and missed huge chunks of seasons because of pain in his back, it was a rolfer who got him back to playing almost if not totally pain free again.

Rolfing is a form of deep tissue massage.

And, oh, by the way, Crosby has been complaining of balance issues.

The cracks were in his c1 and c2 vertabra.

Check this out:

The ATLAS VERTEBRA is the name of the first bone of your neck (cervical spine).  It is also known as C1 (Cervical Vertebra #1).  We refer to the Atlas or C1, along with the C2 vertebra (the axis) as theUPPER CERVICAL SPINE.

The Atlas is the foundation of your head and the center of balance of your body. It weighs only 2 ounces, yet it supports your head, which is the weight of a bowling ball!  Those anatomists were clever when they named this all-important bone named after the Greek mythological figure, who held up the earth on his shoulders, weren’t they?

I mentioned that he was the coach at St. Bernard during the time when it had one of the great football dynasties in Western Pa. history –three losses from 1949 to 1961.

There is a chapter in my book, “Just Watch The Game (Again)” devoted to those teams.

I wanted to make sure that I posted this response where lots of people would see it:

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Sorry for the loss. Chapter 36, the best of the books in my reading opinion. “What football means at St. Bernard”.I must tell you that I changed the sport to wrestling and the school and copied almost every word. I handed it out to the junior high and high school teams after reading it to them approximately 2 weeks ago. I thought i’d find the letter left behind or in the trash in the locker room after practice. Yes i looked in the trash. I found 2 left behind but not in the trash. I received 6 phone calls and was approached by 3 other parents thanking me for showing concern for their positive progression in the sport of wrestling but also a positive progression that they may have in life. The letter is posted in the locker room and on the doors going into the wrestling room as a motivational tool when things get tough. Just throwin some credit your way for putting the statement in the book. I’d love to have Father Lonergan as a banquet speaker, not only to hear his words but also to see the looks on all the parent faces.

(Thanks to Sherm.)

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Here’s the mission statement that Sherm was referring to:

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Football at St. Bernard is not merely a form of recreation; it is much more. Every person has certain fundamental problems to face in life. It makes all the difference in the world whether a person faces his problems honestly, with courage and intelligence, or tries to sneak around the problems of life… There is no place on the football field for the sluggard, the shirker, the coward, the scatterbrain, the dolt, the leaner, the quitter, the egotist.
Most of these faults are the result of pampering. In a football game, the opposing team is seldom inclined to do much pampering. Football is just clean, hard give and take.
What a training to face the stern realities of life.
We have a lot of fine boys in St. Bernard’s School and our aim is to bring out all of the best in them. We saw what football did to the boys last year. (Undefeated championship team.) The benefit was almost unbelievable. It is a pity that many boys are physically unfit to take part in the training. They are missing something, just on account of their physical handicap, they need most urgently. They are our problems. The real football boy is seldom a problem. He has learned to tackle problems.

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I think 98% of the parents (at least the fathers) would agree with what Father Lonergan wrote 60 years ago. What I’m not so sure about is how many of them would have the guts to admit it publicly.

Sherm’s response alone makes writing the chapter worthwhile. It’s exactly why I wrote it.

He was also one of the coaches featured in my book, “Just Watch The Game (Again)”  who helped create one of the great football dynasties in Western Pennsylvania history at St. Bernard in Mt. Lebanon.

St. Bernard lost three games from 1949 to 1961.

There will be a lot of solid citizens at this guy’s funeral –all of them former players of his.