GA Russell

If Cincinnati beats Cleveland, all four teams of the AFC North will finish above .500. This (all four teams finishing above .500) has not happened since the NFL West of 1935. AFC North will become first NFL division in 88 years to pull off this feat if Bengals beat Browns in Week 18 (msn.com)

The English are fighting the Scots again. The English army is camped on a hill waiting for a deep fog to clear. Out of the fog comes a Scottish shout: “One Scotsman is worth two Englishmen.” Many men volunteer and two of the biggest are selected. They advance down into the fog. Soon the sound of fighting can be heard, but it doesn’t last long. Then there is another shout: “One Scotsman is worth four Englishmen”. Four more volunteers are quickly selected and they advance down into the fog together. The sound of more fighting can be heard. It lasts a bit longer, but soon it goes quiet again, and then the same Scottish voice calls once more. “One Scotsman is worth a platoon of Englishmen”. There is a longer debate this time but soon a platoon advances steadily down into the fog. This time the sound of fighting goes on for quite a long time, and a few screams. Eventually all is quiet, and then the same Scottish voice calls again. “One Scotsman is worth a battalion of Englishmen.” The English are now quite worried but in due course a battalion is prepared and starts advancing into the fog. But a groan is heard on the ground at their feet. An English soldier barely alive has managed to crawl back up the hill, and he cries out: “Don’t go in, it’s a trap. There’s two of the bastards.”

I can't find the post now, but I remember two or three years ago that TTK said that his mom sang on Perry Como's Season's Greetings album. When I was a boy we had two Christmas albums - that one and Johnny Mathis's Merry Christmas. So this year I remembered, and pulled out my copy of the Como album, specifically to hear TTK's mom. She sounded great, TTK!

The Dalai Lama walks up to a hotdog vendor, and says, “Make me one with everything.” The vendor hands over the hotdog, and the Dalai Lama pays for it. He waits for a moment, and then demands, “What about my change?” The vendor replies, “Change comes from within.”

I remember well when the Rose Bowl game was the champions of the Big Five (later Pac-8, later Pac 10, later Pac-12) against the champions of the Big Ten. (Does no one else remember the 1963 Rose Bowl, when Ron VanderKellen and Wisconsin almost beat USC?) That's what we will see in Houston.

This year's Rose Bowl will be in Houston Monday - the champions of the Big Five against the champions of the Big Ten.

RIP. He was younger than I thought. Les McCann dies - Search (bing.com)

And now Bird. Disc 3

A horse walks into a bar, and orders three drinks. The bartender says, “Hey, ain't you been in here ordering three drinks every day this week? You some kind of lush or sumthin'?” The horse replies, “No, I don't think I am.” And just like that, the horse vanishes. I'd explain why, but that would be putting Descartes before the horse.

Twenty-five years ago I was in the habit of starting every new year with new (to me) albums by Julie London and Charlie Parker. So now I have just opened up Julie's Lonely Girl.

Shecky Greene has died at 97. RIP. I felt that he was like the secondary sports leagues (like the WHA and the ABA). Everybody had heard of him, but very few saw him or heard him, in that he wasn't on television or found in record stores like other comedians were. Shecky Greene, legendary standup comic, improv master and lord of Las Vegas, dies at 97 (msn.com)

Happy New Year everyone! Top 10 Plays https://www.cfl.ca/2023/12/29/top-10-plays-of-2023/

Ken, I would ask myself...Would this story be interesting if the people were not famous? In 2015 I read Linda Ronstadt's book Simple Dreams. I didn't mind that she declined the opportunity to embarrass anyone. But the book was 200 pages of stories of famous people, none of whom did anything interesting.

The Las Vegas Sands casino people have agreed to buy the Dallas Mavericks for $3.5 billion. NBA approves Dallas Mavericks sale - Search (bing.com)

RIP. He was 86! Tom Smothers dies at 86 - Search (bing.com)

Top 10 Special Teams Plays https://www.cfl.ca/2023/12/26/top-10-special-teams-plays-of-2023/

I received four interesting box sets for Christmas.

Top 10 Catches https://www.cfl.ca/2023/12/15/top-10-catches-of-2023/

Look what I got for Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Top 10 Interceptions https://www.cfl.ca/2023/12/19/top-10-interceptions-of-2023/