Talby Wednesday

      After about 3 months, the streak of Talby Tuesday's has been snapped. I did not get a chance to post yesterday because Lissa had the computer and I had to get up the next day at 3:45 for work. As much as I am devoted to Talby Tuesday, I just could not bring myself to deprive myself of the sleep. My broken streak, got me to thinking about the great streaks of all time. The first ones that come to mind are Cal Ripken's 2,632 games played, Brett Favre's 297 consecutive starts at QB, DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak, and most recently UConn Women's 99 game winning streak. And then I reflected on other great records in my own life. Ross McCracken and I currently have an unbeaten doubles tennis streak that has lasted almost a decade now, I haven't lost in NBA Jam or NFL Blitz '98 in 5 years, and I once won 15 hands of Euchre in a row. Which of these is most impressive, I do not know.

Then my mind drifted and I pondered if Talby had any streaks that he was proud of. I called him and asked him. He actually had a difficult time answering. He said something about Call of Duty, his winless streak against Dido in Madden, and eating two double burgers every day in college for three months. What Talby did not mention, and the one that I think is most impressive is this... From the time Talby started playing football (around 10 years old) till the last game he played in college he managed to successfully do something that very few people have done. For almost 12 years in a row, he successfully wore a huge cowboy collar that makes him look sooooo big. 136 games in a row the intimidating sports accessory was mounted on Big Tal's mammoth shoulders. No one at such a young age and for such a period of time has ever pulled off a streak like this. It is sad that the streak had to come to an end as Talby declined to play for various NFL Europe Teams because he likes America too much and wanted to pursue a higher calling as an efficient eating youth pastor. So as I was feeling the guilt of breaking my streak and letting my fans down, this post has actually been a great comfort to me. The best of men and the best of streaks have fallen over time. Even Talby had his cowboy collar wearing days cut-short. I guess all that we can do is be thankful for the success when we have it and remember it fondly when it is gone. Thanks for all the memories Talby!