TCTOD: Fasolamatt, Thanksgiving and football
Posted on November 26th, 2008 – 1:40 PMBy Michael Rand
Take it away, Mr. Matt:
I don’t go to Cleveland any more for Thanksgiving (my parents moved next door to Cretin-Derham Hall this summer after a 43 year run in Northeast Ohio), but there was a long spell where Thanksgiving morning meant football in the backyard. From age seven or so until past high school, the Washington Boulevard cohort would gather in our backyard to play two-hand touch on Thanksgiving morning. The yard was 55 feet wide; the garage of the neighbor to the west was the end zone, the fence of the neighbor to the east the 50 yard line (so if the ball carrier touched the fence and started running back, the defender had to touch the fence before he could stop the ball carrier). The arcane formula for attainment of first downs is lost to the mists of time, but I think it involved trees.
I was reminded of this whilst on the phone with the kid who grew up three doors east of us; his wife asked him about the scar on his knee which is now 35 years old. Eight stitches when he cut it open on a brick which was lying on the ground out of bounds. Apparently this was my fault. Thanksgiving is a time for long-held grudges, I guess.
No football for me this year; Minnesota fasola singers gather on Thanksgiving morning to sing, and my friend Jim is cooking Thanksgiving turkey; then we’re off to Iowa to do it all again with Mrs. Fasolamatt’s family on Saturday. A Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours …
12 Responses to "TCTOD: Fasolamatt, Thanksgiving and football"
I’m actually very sad not to have any family traditions involving backyard football. Sounds like great memories, Matt. Thanks for sharing.
Let us now remember Bill Dial, who passed away earlier this year. Dial is responsible for the type of turkey carnage that would make a Sarah Palin interview blush.
The carnage in question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iafzqOCaxA4&feature=related
So very awesome.
A sad update on the Iowans caught in the bathroom of the dome.
You hate to see anonymous sex in public bathrooms get a bad name.
Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa administration would like to encourage that woman and anyone else involved to just forget this whole incident happened.
Well done, RT.
Happy Thanksgiving, all you knuckleheads….
/wilbon
G’night, Canada
/obligatory Kornheiser
Remember to thaw out the turkey you’re deep-frying, okay?
Stu: That’s no fun.
Let’s blow some stuff up. It’s the American way!
As for the Fasolamatt X-giving tradition, I think I’m going to have to get a big two-hand-touch snow football game going with my fiancees family at Christmas this year.
By the way, the CMS swears Rick Astley was on a Cartoon Network float in the Macy’s Parade.
A Thanksgiving Rickroll. Word.
