Wow! The Baltimore Colts looked unbeatable today!

But that was today. I think the sentimental favorite for Super Bowl champion is Green Bay, given the death of Brett Favre's father a few weeks ago and the fact that he, and several key players, are playing hurt - but definitely bringing high-proficiency football to the playoffs. But the Colts were impressive - at least on offense - against the Kansas City Chiefs. The offense played as flawless a game as I've ever witnessed.

Even as I type, the Philadelphia Eagles are self-destructing, giving Green Bay a huge break by illegally touching the football on a kick-off bumble. I used to live in Filthy-delphia (1960s variation) and attended a couple of Eagle games, although I don't recall them as memorable. Seems to me that they've always been a second-rate football franchise, commonly finding a way to lose when the big games come around.

As much as these 'professionals' get paid, one would think that flawless performance would be the norm, not the exception to the rule. But reality is what it is and there just ain't no flawless teams. Hmmm. Sounds very human.

Actually, I'm not really interested in who goes to the Super Bowl since both my favorite teams (Raiders and 49'ers) are long gone. But since I'm broke and my girlfriend is ensconsed in her closet, asleep and recovering from oral surgery, it's entertainment on the cheap, so to speak.

And the beat goes on.

Looks like the Democrats are going to bring the battle for party-top-dog down to the wire. And while the Dean-machine rolls heavily forward today, the attacks from the other seven contenders (it is seven, isn't it?) may eventually undermine his momentum - although I don't think anyone in the field of Democrats will beat him. Dean has definitely out-cowboyed even Bush when it comes to shoot-from-the-hip rhetoric and the ability to arouse powerful emotional responses from the electorate. Whatever the outcome of the Democrat's convention, I only hope that they don't bleed each other so dry that the ultimate contender has little energy left to contend against G.W. - the Bushmeister. As it is, it appears that the platform the Democratic Party will build its attack on Bush will be comprised of both the economy - despite stock market rebound and the rich getting richer (it's jobs, stupid!) - and the war in Iraq. Dean has staked out the position that Bush was wrong to go into Iraq, citing his early and continuous opposition to the plan. The rest of the field, except for Kucinich (loser) must explain their support of the war in terms that placate the liberal constituency, a tough row to hoe! And then, of course, there's the economic issue, always a good backhand shot for Democrats given the propensity for MOST folks to want health care, access to education for their children and the prospect of retiring with an income that allows at least some level of comfort. Bush has put the nation in the pocket of big business, as is the want of the GOP, whereas Dean's message is, Bush's tax cut was a scam that bilks the middle class of its future while heavily favoring the ultra-rich. No surprise there. Only Dean has called for rescinding those tax cuts, although he's softened the message with a proposal to cut payroll taxes - thereby giving the middle class a better break. Here, again, Dean's position is the only 'radical' proposal in the field. The rest of the players seem to represent a laissez-passer stand toward the Bush tax "breaks," particularly Lieberman, who said that Dean's position goes against the party's doctrine of helping the commoner. The line between Dean's message and that of all the other Democratic Party candidates' is acutely demarcated - and that's what sets him apart from, and ahead of the rest of the field at present. But I think that his only hope of beating Bush is to get the FULL support of the party and its traditional power base (labor, minorities, young and middle class) but that will be a tough nut to crack for him because the party is in disarray. It appears leaderless at the moment, though I'm sure a coalescence will occur sooner or later. Even if the party lines up behind Dean, it will be a hard fight to oust Bush from the White House. Why? Damned if I know. I only know that the polls (and the media, to a wide extent) has indicated that Bush is, at present, a synch to win. We will, of course, see as time passes, how things shake out. But I would certainly not mourn a change of presidential venues, as it were.

I got my first few days of work under the belt this past week after a 12-day hiatus after Christmas. It felt lousy! I felt lousy! At the moment, things look lousy from my little piece of terra firma, which is not feeling so firma.

C'est la vie.

I'm out.

Later.