Broken up by Tillman

All the teams I was cheering for in the NFL playoffs lost last week – the Seahawks, Eagles, Ravens, and Chargers. I wasn’t rooting for either team in today’s first game between the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints, but now I want the Bears to win the Super Bowl. They played a good game today. Their coach, Lovie Smith, has the most challenging name for a guy since A Boy named Sue. And they have a cornerback, Charles Tillman, whose name was called many times today reflecting his fine plays stopping receivers from catching long passes. It reminded me of Afghanistan war casualty and former Arizona Cardinals player Pat Tillman. He gave up a multi-million dollar career in football to search for Osama bin Laden after 9/11. Even while escaping reality by watching football, it’s fitting for us to hear that name and remember that important events, involving real people living and dying, keep happening whether we pay attention to them or not.

“Broken up by Tillman”. One of the reasons the war in Iraq and Afghanistan drags on is that we, the American people, aren’t forced to think about it all the time. I don’t want to become so dulled to its horrors that I forget its heroes. Play well in two weeks, Charles Tillman, you carry a great name on your back.