Sammy. The Samster, died this week. He was a great little doggie. I always thought he looked like a scruffy 3 legged Terrier. But his family thought he was the best looking dog around. Ya, okay, I admit it. He was cute enough. And he had 4 legs. But, come on. You can’t compare his looks to my two Italian Greyhounds, Gina and Tony. Ok ok, Sammy was a riot, a funny, zany presence at holidays. Always running around in circles driving Gina and Tony crazy. Even though there were times when he looked deranged, Sammy was a really smart dog. Way smarter than Gina and Tony. Yes, Sammy was smart and had quite the personality. But Gina and Tony had the looks.

All three, and all loved dogs are great in their own way. They have special places in our hearts for different reasons. And, like all great dogs, they lived for us. God put them on earth to be one with us, to be part of our families. They live to be near us, to fetch the ball and the stick, to make us laugh even when we want to cry. And when the day is ending, to cuddle with us on the couch. They feel safe there, touching us. And we do too. Those last moments of the evening, stroking them, gives us a sense that we got through one more day, that everything is ok, maybe just for that day.

I’ve loved dogs all my life, from Rin Tin Tin to Lassie, from My Dog Skip to the War Dogs. Toby, in the movie Used Cars. What a dog! But because of my asthma, I couldn’t have one. But then I did. First Gina, then Tony. I’d look into Gina’s eyes and I knew that we had a special bond. I knew she trusted me more than anyone. Actually, she didn’t have that great of a personality. She was royalty, a high strung diva. But all beautiful ladies are. She looked like Audrey Hepburn, with her graceful long neck. My beauty passed two years ago.

Tony on the other hand was a handsome burly boy. He didn’t really look like a miniature greyhound. Too heavy. He looked like a cross between a beagle, a dachshund, and a middle linebacker. Hey, he wasn’t fat, he was husky, and tough. He would take on any dog no matter how big. Last year, a few days before he died, he sat contentedly on my lap while I stroked him. He never sat still like that on anyone’s lap. But he was old and tired. He knew.
For some reason, they know and we don’t. Maybe we just don’t want to face the reality that we’re going to always outlive them, because they give us so much. They just don’t outlive us. They break our hearts.

Why does the CBS broadcast go to former official Mike Carey? He always confirns the ref’s call on the field. I just saw the Rams safety hit a Broncos receiver, Sanders, with a violent but legal hit. So what does Carey say? Gibberish. He completely misinterpreted the call. So he just used gibberish. He’s the CBS expert! What a joke! Even the CBS analyst said it was a legal hit.  Shoulder to shoulder. Violent but legal.  Replay clearly showed it. Let’s face it, these network guys are company men. Boring and predictable, and  embarrassingly pro league. At least I’ll give the analyst credit. But most broadcasters would not contradict referees’ calls. They’re not paid to do that. Phil Simms rarely says anything that’s not obvious to the experienced fan. And never calls out even the most egregious ref call. And he’s the number one guy. Enuf said.

When I saw the list of receivers who caught 50 touchdowns in the fewest number of games: Lance Alworth, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, Rob Gronkowski, it dawned on me. Gronk is going to the Hall of Fame! Already, in his short career, he’s done enough, even with his injuries in the last two years.
I’ve seen them all in the last 50 years. My earliest memory was the 1958 Championship game. Colts beat the Giants in overtime. Don’t remember who were the tightends. But I do remember John Mackey,  Mike Ditka, Kellen Winslow, Shannon Sharpe, Mark Bavaro,  Dave Casper, Jackie Smith (even though he dropped an easy TD pass from Roger Staubach in the Super Bowl), today’s Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, and really good ones like Ben Coates, Russ Francis. Gronk is better than all of them. Trust me.
I guess the best of the HOFs tightends would be the great John Mackey. Big strong athletic, defenders bouncing off him. But Gronk is better. The best tightend to ever play. Enjoy him while you can.
BTW, my twenty something nephews and friends were discussing the best receivers of ALL time, and naturally they left out the greats from before their time. They brought up Rice and Moss, and today’s monsters, but never heard of Lance Alworth! I didn’t expect them to go back to, or even think of Tommy MacDonald, Homer Jones, Raymond Berry, Don Maynard, Cliff Branch, Fred Biletnikof, or way back to Don Hutson. I’m  talking Lance Alworth, aka Bambi, who ran and leaped like a Gazelle, graceful as a deer, was an acrobat in the air, uncoverable. Let’s face it. 20 somethings should defer to us 60 somethings when debating the best of ALL time in sports.