4 Hard Downs: Combine Faves & Hates, 1st Hoops Experience & Then A Soup
I made tomato bisque, loved some DBs and felt awful for some guys plus 1st college basketball game
By the time is was 6 I had been to New Mexico State, New Mexico and UTEP sports games. Spending years 1-8 on Holloman AFB (look it up, your boy also sat in a Stealth before the world even new they existed and went to White Sands on the reg). So I feel like I’ve been failing as a dad because my kid has never been to a sporting event with me, and she is almost 6.
I went to see The Pit with my dad, we did an Aggies game and my first ever CFB game was in the Sun Bowl watching UTEP play. We also did Diablos games, the minor league team that has since changed their name to Chihuahuas. I was 6 or 7 when I saw John Jaha out there crushing it.
I am working on fixing that because sports is a huge part of my life; to the point when I’m not working I try to take a break from it. However, that doesn’t help foster a love or enjoyment in my kid because she sees sports as work for me, not a fun family bonding situation.
In order to remedy that we are planning some Charlotte Knights outings this spring and summer, but it started with a Queens University hoops game this weekend. I’ll tell you about it after we go ahead and…..SPOT THE BALL!!!
1st Down: Queens University Was A Hit
There are our kids:
We’re missing a few because one got a fever, one mom double booked with a spa day (easy choice to send the dad with 2 kids and do the spa day), another’s mom had to get an emergency appendectomy and my brother’s family had a dance competition out of town so his family and my dad who also went were out. But you get the gist.
Super cool venue and really an enjoyable atmosphere.
Candy? Check. Cotton Candy? Check. Popcorn? Check. Glizzies? Check. T-Shirt Toss Catch? Check. What more do you need?
Realizing that Queens is so close, so affordable has opened up a world of, let’s take the kids there for games. Basketball season is over. They still have softball, baseball, lacrosse that we can go to and get our kids an activity on the books without having to drive across the entire town to UNCC.
After having kids get overwhelmed at Wrigley Field, Hornet’s games or being upset with the traffic and the rigamarole of getting out of Uptown Charlotte with Panthers’ and Knights’ games this is a great way to get them into sports without the massive stimulation of crowds and wild drunk people or missing bedtimes because the game would be in the 2nd quarter when we do pajamas and teeth or everyone melts down mid-3rd quarter because you drove 30 minutes and then walked another 20 and they tried to sit in their assigned seat.
I don’t often do parenting advice, honestly I don’t think I’m a good parent, I’m just a parent trying to keep their head above water. I say this, definitively:
If you live somewhere that you can get 10 parents (we only had 6 show up, but paid for 10) into a college game (any sport) for $63, do it. Especially if it is less than 20 minutes from your house. Kids get to run around and have fun. They meet the mascot. They get a t-shirt. They’re thriving.
Just. Do. It.
2nd Down: Everyone Is Fast!!
This is my favorite 40, and honestly NFL Combine moment ever, is Taylor Mays running a 4.24.
The thing is it gets really wild watching the combine now when guys with bad starts, wobbles and early stand-ups are still going sub 4.5 and 4.6. Players are just insanely fast.
20+ WRs going 4.4 or below. Shit, Ricky Pearsall from Florida went 4.39. Obviously Xavier Worthy beating John Ross’ 4.22 with a 4.21 is insane. The DBs were flying headlined by Nate Wiggins from Clemson going 4.28. Nehemiah Pritchett from Auburn going 4.36.
I remember when 4.4 was the benchmark. And not a 4.40, a 4.4-anything was, “well this guy is super fast.” Now we are seeing low 4.2’s which means we are going to get an official 4.19 next year. I say official because Bo Jackson was apparently clocked at 4.13 but not at the combine.
3rd Down: Nehemiah Pritchett Is A Darling
I have been digging more into him as I get focused on draft prep now that I don’t have Super Bowl, Playoff, Recruiting etc and Pritchett is silky.
I don’t know if he has a nickname, but it should be “Smoove” for real.
Not Smooth. Smoove. Smoother than Smooth, he is Smoove.
This kid is like softened butter that you can just spread on to a slice of Merita Old Fashioned out of the bread box on the counter. Bread stays intact, butter spreads easily and you’ve got yourself a snack. A sweet and savory treat.
Which is what he is as a player. Sweet when he’s in man or savory in advantageous zone coverage seeing through WR to the QB.
However…
Do I want him to be more forceful and physical? Sure. Do I love his footwork? Yes. He is a one-stepper and he just has to translate what he does to being more aggressive. Specifically in the run game.
The feet are there. He is fluid and capable. It is a matter of pairing him with a coach a defensive backs coach who is going to make sure he is committed to be in the frame on every play. Offensive lineman can’t be a deterrent. Tight Ends can’t push you out. You should never be blocked by a WR. Get active.
But I am falling in love with this guy, even though he is the complete opposite of what I generally like in a DB. More on that for Thursday.
4th Down: Satisfying A Hankering
I love soup. I don’t make soup enough. Clam Chowder is my favorite. Beef stew goes hard. Lobster bisque is a must order if it ever is on a menu. She-crab soup is just pure fire. Obviously chicken noodle is made for the soul.
The most comfortable for me? The gray day. Big fog. Misty rain meal.
Tomato soup with a grilled cheese.
Start with the tomatoes, wash them and then cut them up to roast in the oven. Cut the top off of two cloves of garlic and I like to wrap mine in foil.
That’s that start and end product going in and coming out of the oven. 400 for 20 minutes and then a 3 minute broil to get a nice char; all uncovered. Carmelize onions in the pot while the tomatoes and garlic cook. Then get it in the pot and that garlic squeezes out like toothpaste.
I keep it getting zesty by putting a bay leaf, thyme, oregano and basil in a cheese cloth pouch. Cook them all together and you don’t have to hunt for the bay leaf because the pouch is hanging out and easy to grab while the onions, tomatoes, garlic and herbs marry.
Take the pouch out. I cannot be more emphatic about this. Take The Pouch Out. I have forgot to do that and it is a nightmare.
Then put it in the blender. Smooth it all out. Put the pouch back in and let it continue to cook down while it is still getting more of that herb treatment. Ready for dinner? Pour it in a bowl, add some ricotta, bacon jam (I guess I should talk about that later) and basical and/or parsley to top and bang.
Great flavor. Smooth from the blender. Add a grilled cheese and you are dipping and slurping all day.
Cheers!!!
Love getting back to the recipes! Thanks.
Take that babygirl to some big time events too, let her experience it on a different level. You did and loved it. She will too. Kudos on the grill cheese.