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DETROIT FREE PRESS
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Saturday, January 29, 2000
METRO FINAL
1B
MITCH ALBOM
SEE RELATED ARTICLE BY SYLVESTER, PAGE 1B.
Copyright (c) 2000, Detroit Free Press
IT'S MY MOVE, CURT, AND I CROWN ST. LOUIS
FIRST OF ALL, Curt, congratulations on finally making it to Atlanta to do that
Super Bowl story on the Falcons.
Unfortunately, that was last year.
They're not in it this year. And apparently, Curt, neither are you. Are you
really going with the Titans? Don't you know the golden rule? Never pick a
team whose logo is a moving van.
Oh, I understand your empathy. You, Curt, have moved a few times yourself.
Don't you hate when those creditors won't leave you alone?
By the way, a guy named Vinny "Two Thumbs" called. Said you'd know why.
Anyhow, Tennessee moves around, Curt, but for different reasons. They have a
greedy owner, Bud Adams, who keeps chasing the bigger, better deal. Took his
team from Houston to Memphis to Nashville to another stadium in Nashville.
Now it's true, Georgia Frontiere, who owns the Rams, also moved her team for
money. But she only went from L.A. to Anaheim to St. Louis.
So I win, three moves to four.
Which is pretty much how the Super Bowl will go, Curt. Anything the Titans can
do, the Rams can do twice as well. Throw the ball? Steve McNair is nice. Kurt
Warner is twice as nice. Run? Eddie George is good. Marshall Faulk is great.
Receive? Isaac Byrd is OK. Isaac Bruce is better.
Now I see your fondness for the Titans, Curt. It's an age thing, right? They
have Bruce Matthews, the oldest player in the league, who is still young
enough to be your grandson. And they have the wrinkled Neil O'Donnell, who
aged 10 years in a single Super Bowl a few years back.
You can relate.
And of course, you like the Titans because of their coach, Jeff Fisher, who
studied under Buddy Ryan. You call Buddy "My special Buddha," don't you?
But Curt, you're a writer. Don't-
You are a writer, aren't you?
Curt? Hey. Take that cell phone out of your ear. It's not a Q-Tip.
Anyhow, you're a writer. You have to see the perfect story here. Warner comes
from the parking lot to win the Super Bowl. Dick Vermeil exorcises his demons
from 1980, wins the Super Bowl. It's perfect.
And besides, the Rams score, like, 93 points a game.
Don't tell me about beating Jacksonville. The Titans won that game because the
Jaguars held the ball as if it had head lice. The fact is, Tennessee is one
questionable lateral away from being home on the couch. Just ask anyone in
Buffalo.
No, Curt, you don't have to go to Buffalo. Take the cell phone out of your
ear.
And hear this: The Rams will win by at least 10 points. You've been wrong
before, Curt. And you'll be wrong again. But let's be grateful for small
things.
At least you didn't pick the Falcons.
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FOOTBALL;SUPER BOWL