It’s Here!! It seemed like it may never happen the way things looked in the spring and early summer but, unlike those mopes in Washington DC, the NFL and the players figured out what needed to be done for the long term, and got it done. Not some freaking kick the can down the road for a couple of months, or pass the buck off to a “Super-Committee” of bribed up asshole politicians, but a comprehensive and fair agreement for the next ten years. The Congress and Executive Branch in DC could learn a few things from our mindless sports pastime.

There are a couple of other updates I would like to get out of the way before we get down to business. First, in the biggest news of the day – and this is going to break Marcy’s heart – Peyton Manning is in a world of hurt. Manning had a cervical fusion operation today, and will be out 2-3 months. I would not bet against Peyton returning this year, but I find it unlikely. Unless the Colts are looking good for the playoffs late in the season, why would you put him out there? The surgery sounds very serious, and anything involving the spinal column is that, but it is fairly common actually. I have seen several personal injury clients through the process in the upper cervical area, all with good results and very little effective reduction in motion range. He will be back; just maybe not this year.

Secondly, good old Henry Waxman is again reaching his unneeded long hairy arm into the world of professional sports:

Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman sent a letter to National Football League (NFL) and National Football League Players’ Association urging them to put in place human growth hormone testing (HGH) procedures for the players without further delay. Despite agreements to test and impose penalties for HGH use, the NFL and the Players Association have failed to finalize HGH testing procedures in time to begin testing before tonight’s start of the 2011 season.

Here is the full letter. Waxman had no basis to be sticking his hand in the sports pie as head of House Oversight, and only slightly more as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I guess the NFL is commerce but, really, that is a little thin; with all of the concerns in this country and Washington DC, this is not among the top of them. What really pisses me off is that Waxman is out there making a stink about this crap and, from what I am told, still pushing buttons behind the scene to maintain the prosecution of Roger Clemens.

What the Oh So Honorable Mr. Waxman, nor even any of his lesser staffers, manage to find time for is to discuss the issues behind the DOJ colluding with admitted felon obstructor of justice Scott Bloch to avoid any meaningful accountability. See this post for details, things have only gotten more absurd since then. If Waxman cannot bother to be concerned with a senior Administration legal department head like Scott Bloch, who WAS the Special Counsel, perjuring himself to Congress and destroying extremely material, nee critical, evidence regarding violation and dereliction of his duties to protect whistleblowers, then he has no business wasting the taxpayers’ time with his juvenile fixation on being the Lord of All Sports.

Okay, now to tonight’s game. And whoa nellie it’s gonna be a doozy! Teh Nawlins Saints are in Titletown to take on deefendin World Champeens the Green Bay Packers. Hot damn baby, we gots ourselves a real barnburner to open the season with. The Saints are more than a little retooled for 2011. gone is Reggie Bush, and say what you will about Bush, dude is a game changer. Even if he does nothing, because he HAS to be accounted for and drives defensive coordinators nuts. In is Mark Ingram, rookie RB from the Crimson Tide. Ingram should be a great addition, and to semi-fill the Bush slot, the Saints have picked up Darren Sproles from the Lightning Bolts; between the two the Nawlins running game ought to be actually improved. The addition of Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rogers on the Saints D-Line should be huge because, well, they are huge.

While the Saints have added key new pieces, the Pack will be greatly improved simply by getting old pieces back. Tough running back Ryan Grant, stud tight end Jermichael Finley, and other pieces like Brad Jones and Desmond Bishop are all back and added to the same basic roster that won the Super Bowl last year. Oh yeah, they gots some dude named Aaron Rogers too. And the game is on Lambeau Field, even if the tundra is not yet frozen. This is gonna be a great game, no matter what; hard to bet against the Cheesers at home though.

So, I have the beer chillin in the patio fridge, have the ice, tequila and special mix – with Himalayan Pink Salt – for the margaritas. Have a new, not quite as big as the old big screen, big screen plasma HD TeeVee and burgers for the grill. so, nothing could possibly get in between me and a full football experience tonight.

WHAT?? You have got to be fucking kidding me. Some lanky wanker named Obama is apparently going to be making a speech to Congress tonight. My chips are on the shit square, this speech will come up craps. What are the odds NBC would even fuck with this nonsense if the speech were not nominally about jobs and GE’s Jeff Immelt Obama’s Job’s Czarette? Apparently the pregame show, Football Night in America, set originally to air on NBC, has been drop kicked to the NFL Network and cable affiliates such as the Versus Network. The fine CheeseFolks in Wisconsin said to hell with that:

Two NBC affiliates in Wisconsin have decided to choose the kickoff to the NFL regular season rather than President Obama’s game plan on job creation. The President addresses the nation tonight at 7 p.m. E.S.T. before a joint session of Congress to talk about the unemployment rate, which continues to stand at 9.1 percent.

[Both] WTMJ-4 in Milwaukee, along with a sister station in Green Bay, has decided to not carry the President’s speech, which could potentially conflict with the Packers’ 8:30 p.m. kickoff as they look to defend their Super Bowl title against the New Orleans Saints.

Good for them. Get with the program Wheelheads, it is football time!