Alternate Super Bowl LIV Logos

You may or may not know this, but the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV. It's true. 

Here's the logo from that Super Bowl:

It's not awful, but it's pretty bland.

As it happens, people across the internet have created alternate logos with more pizzazz:

My favorite is the top alternate design. I don't love the sun that almost reads like a period in LI.V but I like the GTA Vice City vibes it's giving off.

Local Specialties

Whenever I go to a city, I like to eat the food that they're famous for. So I built a list of some local specialties that appeal to me. I'm sure I've missed more and there's plenty of ones that I didn't include because I'm not interested in them. 

Here's the link so I can keep this as a living document in the future.

Daily Favorites: Mashed Potatoes

My favorite way to cook potatoes is my Twice Baked Potato Casserole (recipe in my cookbook.) It's got milk, cream cheese, butter and cheese in it. It's like more dairy than potatoes. A holiday winner every time. But clearly not a daily favorite. 

Last year, I made a healthy version of the twice-baked potato with a jalapeño popper flavor profile. The jalapeño turned bitter and the cream cheese got lost, but the rest of the technique is a winner. 

Since then I've made the dish again with a classic flavor profile, sometimes without the extra step in the oven. So when I was making it tonight, I figured I might as well post it. 

Tonight I peeled two potatoes, cut into chunks and boiled for 14 minutes. Then I mashed with about 60g of light sour cream and a drizzle of unsweetened almond milk. Seasoned with a combination of salt, pepper, ranch, onion powder and montreal chicken seasoning (which I call garlic+). 

I topped with a little cheese and sour cream but that was mainly for the photo. 

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I did notice a few chunks/lumps of undercooked potato so I should probably just cook it for a few minutes more. It mashed easily but apparently wasn't 100% cooked through. Still tasty and hard to beat a tasty food that has more grams than calories. (100g of potato is 77 cals). 

Also, very filling. One potato is enough for me. We're talking roughly 350 cals, depending on size of the potato for a very filling dish. A little chicken on the side and that's a healthy dinner. 

It probably is a little better to go the extra step and do this recipe but put it in the oven, but still good if you don't. 

Work Trip to NYC

Work sent me to New York for one day. I tried to make the most of it. 

First stop was knocking something off a food bucket list of mine. I had always seen pictures of these giant corned beef or pastrami sandwiches from Carnegie Deli or Katz's Deli and wanted one. Last year, in preparation for a family NYC trip, I saw a video that recommended Sarge's Deli to avoid the touristy lines at Katz's. (Carnegie Deli opened in 1937 but closed in 2016 because the owner was tired of the grueling hours.) Sarge's was a great tip as I was able to walk in at 11 and get a table without waiting in line. 

I got the combination corned beef and pastrami on rye. It was everything I wanted it to be. Though it is too much meat and not enough Russian dressing. If I lived in New York, this would be a great thing to get to go and spread it out across several sandwiches. 

From there I went over to Edge, a newish observation deck that overhangs the building on the 100th floor.

This is the Vessel, next door to Edge.

Before the trip, I brainstormed a list of things to see, do and eat. One thing I wanted to do but knew I wouldn't have time was walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I planned a full itinerary that included a trip to MoMA. Unfortunately, the work portion of the work trip took longer than anticipated and I wasn't able to go to the museum. I also didn't have time to go to Bar Piselino for Italian hot chocolate or Levain Bakery for big cookies. (In hindsight, since it turned out to be 7 hours between eating opportunities, I'm glad I picked the giant sandwich for lunch.)

In preparation for this trip, I watched this video on NYC pizza and had my heart captured by the opening frame:

So I went to Village Square Pizza to try it for myself. Here's a slice of pepperoni with hot honey:

Predictably, this was excellent. Especially when paired with a Lagunitas IPA. Also, you can tell I was full from Sarge's sandwich because I only ordered one slice. (Though this wasn't as good as the incredible Square Pie Guys pizza I had with Niraj in October. When I said that was one of the best of my life, I meant it with no exaggeration.)

With less than an hour before I had to get to Comedy Cellar, I stopped in to Blind Pig and got a quality beer. 

When I found out I was going to New York, the thing I was most excited about was visiting Comedy Cellar for the first time. 

I went looking to reserve tickets and found one line-up featuring Dave Attell. I went to book it and it was sold out already. I found a different lineup with Todd Barry. Also sold out. The best show that I could get tickets for had Colin Quinn as the recognizable name. Not a huge fan, but I was going for the overall experience, not a specific comic. 

Also, the location that I booked was the Village Underground location, around the corner from the MacDougal Street location. It's still the Comedy Cellar, it just doesn't have the cool sign. In my head, seeing the lit up sign was a key attraction, so I made sure to get a picture of it anyways. 

We walk in and they give us good seats. It's $14 with a two-item minimum. 

Mike Yard was the host and had the first set. Funny stuff and a good way to get started.

Gregg Rogell was out first after that and he was okay. The second comic was a guy from Texas and he was funnier but I didn't catch his name and he wasn't on the lineup. Then Colin Quinn came and was the worst of the bunch. He was trying out some jokes about Ukraine and just didn't seem like he had the right energy. 

Each of those comics did about 10 minutes each. I had heard there's the possibility of a famous comic dropping by, but I also was expecting someone on the B-list. Before the show they showed pictures of Amy Shumer and Pete Davidson, so I was thinking someone along that level of famousness. I thought Mulaney would be a big get but seemed unlikely. Also, I knew the lineup had 6 comics on it, so I figured we'd see 2 more sets and then maybe a surprise guest. 

So I was not ready at all for what happened next. 

Mike Yard takes the mic and says, "When you choose Comedy Cellar, you're making a good choice. Please welcome to the stage, Chris Rock."

There's like 5 seconds where we're all wondering, did he just say what I think he said. Is that a joke?

And sure enough, Chris Rock walks up on stage, less than 20 feet in front of me. 

We weren't allowed to take photos, but he did the whole set in a winter jacket, kind of like this:

He was incredible. Not only was he absolutely hilarious, but he did an entire hour. 

Because none of us bought tickets to a Chris Rock show, it didn't feel like paying to see someone famous in concert. It felt like bumping into a celebrity and getting to hang out with them for an hour. 

Absolutely surreal. Something I'll never forget.

How NFL Legacies Are Written

I've made this point before, but it's worth making again. 

We as sports fans collectively, judge players (and especially quarterbacks) with these sweeping attitudes, as if they're legacies are carved in stone. The reality is that these legacies are built by moments as fragile as a tower built out of lego pieces. 

If the Bengals defense gets one more stop, if they triple team Kupp on that final drive, then Joe Burrow is a Champion and probably a Super Bowl MVP. 

I went back and watched the highlights from Rodgers' only Super Bowl. Up 3 late, the Packers had 1st and goal. They ended up settling for a field goal to make it a 6-point lead with over two minutes to go. Think about how many times we've seen Brady or Mahomes or Rodgers come down and get a TD. Heck, we saw it two years prior with Big Ben in Super Bowl 43 vs the Cardinals. If Big Ben does it in Super Bowl 45 vs the Packers, Rodgers is 0-1 in the Super Bowl. 

Let's look at Super Bowl 43 while we're here. Larry Fitzgerald was incredible that postseason. If the Cardinals get one more stop, if Santonio Holmes can't get both toes down in the corner, then Fitz gets a ring in his 5th season. Kurt Warner joins the ranks of Manning and Elway in the 2-ring club. 

The point I'm making is that we're used to judging players and their legacies by thinking about what more they could have done. For example, it's easy to look at the end of SB 56 and say if Burrow had gone down the field for a TD at the end then he would have gotten a ring. He didn't so he doesn't have one. All of that is true, but it's a very narrow way to look at things. Your legacies are also written by things outside of your control. 

The Browns and Lions are the only two teams from the start of the Super Bowl era who have never been to the Super Bowl.

The other two teams that haven't been to a Super Bowl are the Jaguars (est. 1995) and Texans (est. 2002.)

And yet, two key players from the Rams Super Bowl 56 win were on the Lions and Browns a year ago. 

2021-22 NFL Wrap Up

Trivia Time: How many active NFL QBs have won a Super Bowl? What's the record for most rings by an active QB? And what teams have a QB with a ring?

- - - 

You want to think about it?

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Six. 

One. 

Rams. Chiefs. Bears. Jets. Seahawks. Packers. 

Not what you expected?

The Bears and Jets are a little surprising. They've got Foles and Flacco, respectively, on their rosters who did win a ring as a starter but are now backups. So if we remove them from consideration, here are the starting QBs in 2022 that have rings:

Mahomes. Stafford. Rodgers. Wilson. 

One each. 

And the active QBs with the most Super Bowl appearances? Mahomes and Wilson, two each. 

Tom Brady and Big Ben retiring really did end an era. 

Now we've got an AFC with Burrow, Allen, Lamar, Herbert and Mahomes poised to contend after an era dominated by Brady, Manning and Big Ben. 

- - -

Remember when I said one ring changes everything. Unfortunately for Bengals fans, they're on the other side of that ledger. Now it's entirely fair to wonder if Burrow will go the way of Marino. The Bengals overachieved this year. Next year they'll have the Super Bowl loss hangover effect plus a stacked AFC to deal with. If I could bet on Bengals not winning the Super Bowl in the next five years, I would take that bet today. 

- - -

McVay is 36, youngest coach to win a SB. If he wanted to, he could could for 30 years and own the records for most wins, etc. 

Stafford gets a ring in first year away from the Lions. Detroit got quite a haul of picks in the trade so it seems like it worked out for everyone. 

Aaron Donald has an insane resume with a ring too.

Beckham forced his way out of Cleveland and gets a ring.

Desean Jackson forced his way out of LA this year. He has a history of fumbling at the goal-line so this is on brand. 

And Cooper Kupp...he was only drafted in 2017. His resume is just getting started. It seems crazy to put him in the same tier as all-time elite receivers like Calvin Johnson, but if keeps putting up seasons like this, that's where he'll end up.

- - -

If the Rams were going to win the Super Bowl this year, I'm glad the Chiefs didn't lose back to back Super Bowls. 

Reliable Joy

So when you're in a funk, how do you get out of it?

It's tempting to shift all that Chiefs mental energy into the Avs (#1 team in the league) or Bulls (#1 team in the East) or Illini basketball (tied for 1st in the Big Ten)...but the thing about sports is that you can't control the outcomes. On a given night it's roughly a coin flip and given these teams history, I wouldn't bet on any of them bringing home any trophies in 2022. 

Compare watching a sports game to listening to music by one of your favorite artists...with the music, you're virtually guaranteed a good time and a positive mood. With the sports, you might go to one parade in your life and you might break a TV. 

Playing chess and video games are sometimes fun, but also can on occasion be frustrating. So a bit of caution there.

Here's a list of things that can reliably bring me joy:

Listening to music I like

Cooking delicious food

Eating barbecue

Reading Big Magic

Listening to podcasts

Visiting escape rooms

Playing family board games

Playing basketball

Play disc golf

Walking the dogs

Make videos

Making progress on a creative project

Making progress on bucket list life items

Writing on HC or Medium

Planning and taking vacations

Sound healing on headphones / Meditate

Playing foosball, darts, shuffleboard, etc.

Platinum Trophies

This is a follow-up to this post where I wrote about collecting Playstation trophies. 

Here are my current stats:

Since that post in early 2020, I've collected 3 new Platinum trophies, bringing me up to 9. 

I preferred the ui of psnprofiles.com but it doesn't seem to be updating stats right now. So here's the link I'm using to view these.

There are other games that I've beaten recently like Astroneer where I got most but not all trophies (because it required knowing other ps4 users with the game) or NHL 94 where I got all the trophies but it's too small to warrant a platinum. 

Sure it doesn't matter to anyone else, but it's nice to look back and remember that I got every trophy for all these games.

The last post was partially true, partially wishful thinking. I've been in a deep funk ever since that loss. 

One Title Changes Everything

If you just change the outcome of Super Bowl LIV, everything is so different. 

All the talking heads and podcasts are talking about how Mahomes can't come through in the clutch. You wonder if your team is cursed. The memes hurt sting your core. 

There are legitimate questions if Reid needs to go. You lay awake at night and wonder what it feels like to see your team win a championship. You wonder if you'll die before experiencing it for yourself. 

This is where fans of Bills fans are right now. Josh Allen has proven a lot, but until he actually lifts the Lombardi trophy, you don't know if he'll win you a title. 

When you host AFC Championships in 2021 and 2022 and don't win the Super Bowl, it stings. But only because the expectations have been raised. I can still go walk the dogs in a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Champions hoodie and not have to wonder what it feels like. 

- - -

It's hard to win the Super Bowl. 

The Chiefs have hosted the last 4 AFC Championship games at home. They're 2-2 in those games. 1-1 in the Super Bowl. 

4 great seasons. 1 championship. 

You look at great quarterbacks like Favre, Rodgers, Brees and they win one Super Bowl and had great careers. You look at QBs like Montana and Manning who won multiple Super Bowls and you appreciate how hard that is. And then you look at Brady in awe. The goat. 

- - -

The AFC is stacked with young quarterbacks. Allen. Herbert. Burrow. Mahomes. Jackson. Just getting the AFC Championship game is not going to be easy. Sure Mahomes is 4 for 4 but it's not always going to happen. You have to be able to appreciate the good times. This is an incredible run. And I still wouldn't rather have anyone else as my quarterback or head coach.

I always prayed, "just one." One time I want to experience this. And I did. So I'll never be anything but utterly grateful that it happened. (And it happened when I lived in Kansas City. And I got to go to a parade before the pandemic. It's all good.)

Daily Favorites: Chips & Dip

One of my absolute favorite football snacks is Ruffles and French Onion dip. At a Super Bowl party I can go through half a bag and half a tub of dip, no problem. 

Thing is neither part of the equation is healthy. So if I want to incorporate this into a healthy routine, like when my team is playing an important football game, for example, I need to make changes to both. 

The chips are a simple swap. These veggie chips include 38 chips for a 130 calorie serving, compared to 12 Ruffles for 160 calories. 

For dip, I'm turning to my #1 superstar ingredient, nonfat plain Chobani greek yogurt. 

I could have made a more complicated recipe by buying onion powder and adding other ingredients, but I found Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb. 

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Dip Recipe

85g nonfat plain greek yogurt

mrs dash onion & herb

salt

pepper

(basil and oregano optional)

I made it quite oniony this time and I loved it. Was a little too strong for the boys. Next time I think I should add some basil and oregano to give more herbiness. Could also add a squeeze of lemon if I wanted to get fancy. 

But that amount of yogurt is only 45 calories and enough for the whole bowl of chips. So we're coming in at 175 calories for a pretty satisfying chips and dip snack. 

For the same amount of store bought dip, you're looking at 180 calories instead of 45. And the same amount of chips, I'd say about 400 calories. So without these swaps, chips and dip is 600 calories instead of 175.

 

Fixing NFL Overtime, Again

So back in 2010, NFL overtimes were sudden death even in the playoffs. You could win the toss. Gain 30-40 yards, kick a field goal and win the game. 

This seemed too easy, creating too much of an advantage for the winner of the coin toss. In 2010, I explored proposals to change the sudden death system.

The NFL made a change that took effect in 2012, that if the first team scored a field goal, the second team would still get a chance. 

This was an improvement and seemed to make things more fair. 

- - -

In the 2018-2019 AFC Championship, the Patriots and Chiefs went to overtime. Patriots won the coin toss, drove the field for a touchdown and won without Mahomes getting to touch the ball. 

In the offseason, the Chiefs proposed a rule change that would ensure both teams get to have a possession. It didn't even have enough support to get a league vote. 

Chiefs fans were told to get over it. Make a stop. 

Three years later, the two best teams in the AFC faced off again in the playoffs. It went to overtime. And the team that won the coin toss got a touchdown and won the game. 

Now, the conversation has shifted. More people are realizing it's not really fair to have such weight on a single coin toss. 

Here's the thing: Modern playoff teams are typically offense-driven. Combined with the fact that defenses are gassed after playing for 60 minutes, it really has shifted the odds heavily in favor of the team that wins the coin toss. 

I've seen two more good points this week that made sense to me: 

1. In baseball, it wouldn't feel right if extra innings ended in the top of the 10th, even if the road team scored 4 runs. 

2. To the "defense is part of the game, make a stop" crowd...the Chiefs defense didn't have to make a stop on Sunday. The Patriots defense didn't have to make a stop 3 years ago. So because of a coin toss, we've shifted the responsibility to half of an NFL team. 

So any proposal should address the weight of the coin toss on a game, and should involve the offense and the defense of both teams in the overtime period. 

Let's look at some proposals and see what makes the most sense. 

Proposal #1: Both teams guaranteed a possession. If still tied, then sudden death. 

This is actually one of my least favorites. If this was in effect two days ago and the Bills tie it up, then we're back to the 2010 rules where all the Chiefs need is a field goal. Offenses and defenses are involved but the coin toss still matters a lot. 

Proposal #2: Play a full 10-minute or 15-minute period. 

I don't love this one either. Forcing players to play 75 minutes is probably too long. 10 minute OT and one team could try to hold the ball and drag the clock out. And you could still be tied after all of this anyways.

Proposal #3: Keep the current rules but remove the coin toss. Home team gets ball. 

This might sound dumb at first, but by removing the coin toss and making it known what happens in advance, it's more fair. The road team can now choose to play for the win. The Bills might have gone for 2 with 13 seconds left if OT was less desirable. At least knowing in advance, you can't complain that the toss didn't go your way. 

Proposal #4: College format from the 40, home team goes 2nd. 

Here we've removed the coin toss and are involving the offenses and the defenses. A defensive stop could win you the game as you don't start in gimme field goal range. We reward higher seeds with byes and homefield already, going 2nd in OT isn't that much more far-fetched. Again, knowing this in advance makes it more fair in regulation.

Proposal #5: College format from the 25, no field goals allowed. 2 point conversions mandatory.

We can still have a coin toss here, but we've removed the advantage of going 2nd. There's no information gained. Both teams have to go for a TD and 2-pt no matter what. It will take offense and defense to win the game.

Proposal #6: Spot and choose, sudden death.

Road team picks the spot where the OT drive starts from, home team picks offense or defense. In Sundays game anything from the 10 and up and I think the Chiefs pick offense. But if the Bills say let's start at the 3 yard line, 97 yards away from a TD, do the Chiefs still pick offense? Adds a lot of strategy. But doesn't really feel like NFL.

Proposal #7: Secret auction, sudden death.

Whoever picks the furthest yard line away gets the ball. The coaches write a number in an envelope. The ref reads it out. If the Bills pick the 12 and the Chiefs pick the 9, the Chiefs start OT on their own 9. Again, very strategic, very unlike normal football.

I basically think 1 and 2 are worse than what we have now, and 3 through 7 are an improvement. I think #5 is the simplest solution that solves the issues and we've seen it play out in college, so we're used to the idea already. (In a way that fans aren't ready for 6 or 7.) So let's go with #5.

AFC Championship Preview

In the first 48 AFC Championship Games, the Chiefs played in one, on the road. 1 out of 48. 

Since starting Mahomes, the Chiefs have hosted the AFC Championship every time. 4 out of 4. 

Draft Mahomes and the AFC runs through Arrowhead every year. That's the floor with this guy. Insane.

- - -

Before Mahomes, the Chiefs were last in AFC Championship appearances among non-expansion teams. Behind such "cursed" franchises as the Browns, Bills and Bengals despite a better win-loss record. Before Mahomes, the Chiefs basically set the standard for playoff futility. 

Before Andy Reid, Chiefs fans would argue to be represented alongside the Vikings, Bills, Browns, Lions for most tortured fan bases. 

Patriots fans grew up losing and had a chip on their shoulder. Then they paired Brady with Belichick and won 6 Super Bowls. They became the smug, entitled villains of NFL fanbases. 

In just a few years, I went from identifying with tortured fans to assholes. It truly can happen to anyone. 

- - -

In the playoffs, you face the best version of a team. The Chiefs didn't play the version of the Bills that lost to the Jaguars. We're not going to see the Bengals that lost to the Bears, Jets or Browns. Just as the Chiefs won't be the team that lost to the Titans, Bengals or Bills. 

- - -

The Bengals are 2-0 in AFC Championship games in 1981 and 1988. Both times they went to the Super Bowl they lost to the 49ers. 

- - -

A look back at the last 3 AFC Championships with Mahomes:

vs Patriots: 31-37 (OT) 

vs Titans 35-24

vs Bills 38-24

so, based on that trend, I'm guessing...

vs Bengals 41-24

- - -

Mahomes is now 8-2 in the playoffs with his two losses both coming against Tom Brady. 

Andy Reid's march onto the Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches is right on track. 

- - -

Bengals fans were talking a lot of shit after they beat us in the regular season. Let's see who's talking in 7 days.