Are You Ready, or Not?

The inimitable Michael J. Nelson answers the age-old question as to whether he's ready for some football.

(Apologies to Mike Llorca for linking to a story bashing his favorite team...)

***

Llorca and his wife Denise, by the way, are expecting their first child Friday. Congratulations to them both, best wishes, etc. If you need parenting advice, Mike, just keep this in mind: Don't ask me, because I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.

***

My niece Maddie came through her outpatient surgery just fine and is home resting now.

***

Watched some of an ESPN re-broadcast of a Muhammad Ali-Chuck Wepner heavyweight title bout from ... the early 70s? I couldn't place Wepner at first, until I watched Ali make meat loaf of his face for several rounds. He was the real-life inspiration for the movie Rocky. He'd worked in a liquor store, been a security guard, and somehow had managed a few key victories that lined up a shot at the belt. Ali was heavily favored, and heck, it was the first time Wepner even got to train for a fight full-time.

The result? Ali knocked him out in the 15th/final round, but not before Wepner went toe to toe with him, even knocking the champ to the mat with a vicious combination in the 9th; he was seconds from winning, but Ali got up before the count.

Wepner and Sly Stallone had some sort of handshake arrangement, but apparently the cash never materialized for Wepner, who is suing.

***

Interestingly, the ringside reporters for the bout included Redd Foxx and James Brown, who didn't talk about much that I could tell except that the champ was "about to get serious." When Ali fell, I do not know if Brown sang, "Get up --GIT ON UP-A! Get up --GIT ON UP-A!"