Turkey Day

Right then, it's the third Thursday in November, which means I make an absolute ton of booze laced food and watch NFL. Despite what a lot of Brits say, we do actually celebrate Thanksgiving here, although it's far less important than in Canada and the USA. Over here, it's a celebration of the end of the harvesting season, would normally be on the Sunday nearest to the harvest moon in September and involves food. It's that tradition that the Pilgrims took with them when all the non-conformists were booted out of Blighty and landed up in the USA.

I started off cooking Thanksgiving Dinner for Cath and I about three or four years ago as a laugh - if I cooked, she'd let me watch the games. It's now an annual event - I like think of it as the official beginning of the countdown to Christmas. I know when it's Christmas when this starts happening:

The N**l Edm*nds free version. Thank fuck for that.

But anyway, it's not Christmas yet so here's a quick look at the three games taking place later on.

Miami (4-6) at Detroit (2-8)

The Dolphins are on a three game winning streak and you just know that Joey Harrington would love to put one over his previous employers, who couldn't beat the skin off a rice pudding right now. After having posted a picture of Scott Mitchell and footage of Jon Kitna (who I've just traded for) being pounded, here's a picture of the most literate Lion quarterback ever: the late George Plimpton.

Do yourself a favour: get a copy of Paper Lion. Even non-football fans will enjoy it.

Tampa Bay at Dallas

Oh please please can the Buccs play in throwback uniforms? I'd love to see Chucky surrounded by one of the true manifestations of sporting awfulness.

Doug Williams a few years before 'The Quarter'

According to all sorts of rumours doing the rounds (most significantly from profootballtalk.com), this could be Chucky's last season in Florida. Apparently the Cardinals are interested and the lad himself may have made some overtures to the Steelers on the QT.

PFT's comment on him echoes what no less a source than (ahem) myself said a couple of weeks ago:

'The problem, of course, is that Gruden's star has fallen a bit over the past few years. No longer regarded as a hot-blooded up-and-comer, Gruden is now merely a grumpy middle-aged man with a mouth like a sh-t-sprayed sewer.'

Dallas by 14.

Denver at Kansas City

A game too far for me, which means I'll watch it tomorrow. I'll go with the Donkeys, even though late breaking news on ESPN Radio this afternoon strongly suggests that former Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler will be starting tonight instead of 'Even' Jake Plummer, who is now most definitely Second Hand Rose.

Anyway, food doesn't cook itself and beer doesn't drink itself, so I'm off. Enjoy.