November 10 marked the 34th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald during a cyclonic blizzard on Lake Superior. The reason for the disaster remains a mystery to this day, although most agree a combination of terrible conditions and the ship taking on water led to her demise. She sunk so rapidly that no distress signal was ever sent.I bring this up, dear readers, because the story has always fascinated me, and also, because that story arc can now be applied to the Green Bay Packers and Coach Mike McCarthy. Big Mac is taking on water and the storm around his team continues to worsen. He could very well disappear from our radar screens in the next week if a big enough wave strikes.
Ominous clouds have been on the horizon for Mike and Ted for some time now, but the main hatch-way gave in after the second loss to the Vikings, and then they ran aground near Caribou Island after the embarrassing defeat in Tampa Bay. Then news broke that Big Mac had had a grounds-keeper fired for (maybe) mouthing off to him several days before that big Vikings game at Lambeau. McCarthy denied this was true, but grounds-keeper "Woody" is sticking by his story. This is really small potatoes compared to the last two losses, but it illustrates just how rough the seas have gotten in Green Bay.
With all of this fresh in the minds of Packers fans, the Dallas Cowboys are heading into town this Sunday for what amounts to a must-win for the Green and Gold.
Now maybe Big Mac and the Packers find a way to reach Whitefish Bay, unlike the Edmund Fitzgerald. Maybe they get their heads on straight and fix the bilge pump and beat the Cowboys, who are by all accounts a formidable opponent. If that is the case, then this rough stretch of water will have been just that - a rough stretch.
But if the team doesn't show up for Big Mac on Sunday, the ship may finally sink.
"The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay, if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er." - Gordon Lightfoot
Time for a limerick:
The Green and Gold are taking on water,
the hopes of the fans being led to the slaughter,
Four and four,
Dont' whimper, please roar,
And beat Dallas by a router.
Speaking of taking on water, did you hear they found a bunch of ice on the moon, after they shot it with a water-seeking rocket? Now that is really something. Reminds you that football isn't such a big deal after-all. No matter, I'll still be treating this game as any other: Must see, Must win. Well I honestly don't know if this team has anything left in the tank, folks. Could be that Big Mac has lost the locker room already, but if this season has any chance of a happy ending, we'll know for sure by Sunday night. The optimist in me barely wins out here, dear readers, but you can go ahead and mark it: Dallas 14 - Packers 24.
Until next time, then.
FG
