I like to take Sundays off. Not because of any biblical edict, mind you, simply because, as someone who used to work seven days a week (and on the wrong side of 30), I have grown to appreciate the value of 24 hours to reset your batteries. These days I work more sporadically - sometimes 3 days a week, sometimes 6 days - but I do enjoy staying in my pajamas all day and watching sports (or bad movies) once a week. During football season, the Sunday day off is non-negotiable.
Since they haven't made an insert set of players in their pajamas (yet), I will give you the closest thing I could find, a 1992 Lime Rock set of Saints cheerleaders, the Saintsations:
Of course, 20+ years later, these outfits look downright Puritan for NFL Cheerleaders. The 80's hair is also, as always, a hoot.
I haven't bought much 2013 football product yet. Topps did drop some Archives very early this year and I picked up a lot on Listia and made a page:
The 1976 Topps is one of my
faves. I think they have reused the 1959 design a few too many times, though. I find it a little odd that they used 1985 and 1986 designs, since those years are back-to-back (obviously), but the designs are so different, I guess that doesn't matter much. I am in the minority of kinda
liking the 1986 design; I never much cared for the 1985 look,
This is (I believe) the first time Topps has done Archives for football since 2005:
See? There is the 1959 set again. Also here is the 1984 set (yay!), the 1975 set (double yay!), the 1971 set (meh), the 1966 (double meh - that design worked better for hockey), and my favorite, the 1962 design. I really
really need to make a page of that one.
So on my glorious pajama day off, what am I wearing? (no, I am not coming on to myself) This page offers a hint:
OK, it was not much of a hint and it isn't a Deuce #26 jersey so I will tell just you. On this page is the rookie (and only card ) of Steve Gleason - it is the middle left card, he is on the right of the three. Gleason would have slipped through the cracks of even the most astute fan as an 8 year backup who wasn't even drafted. Yet, he got himself a marvelous claim to fame in one tremendous play: he
blocked a punt in the first quarter of the first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. This was a magical moment for a city that truly needed a magical moment. I was at
that game and up to that point, that block was the loudest sound I had ever heard. Sadly, tragedy has struck Steve Gleason and he has been battling ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) since at least 2011. He has become a very outspoken
champion for research and has been very
visible in public the last couple of years despite his declining health and physical condition. When I was in New Orleans last week, I bought one of his organization's
shirts and while I normally would never pay full price for a sport shirt, I felt that since all the money was going to his charity, I would make a rare exception. While I doubt many of you would want a #37 shirt like mine, I think it would be a marvelous idea if you
donated to his charity.
So right now I am getting some laundry done while baking an apple crisp (damn, I love autumn). I am switching between the crappy early games and the Mets game waiting for the
Manning bowl to kick off at 4:25. I even went to the store to get ice cream and no, I didn't change out of my pajamas to do it. I take my days off that seriously.
