I've had way too much time on my hands the last couple of days waiting for my first grandson to be born, thought it would be Thursday night, then again on Friday, and now we are waiting. So, in the waiting, here are a couple of items that I put together for your interest.
The Conference Championship Games:
The AFC Championship Game at New England in Foxboro, MA. Game time conditions should be about 20 degrees with a wind chill factor in the -2/6 range. It’s a 3pm start EST, so it will be considerably colder by the end of the game. Foxboro is an artificial turf stadium so it will be roughly like playing on frozen plastic needles.
The NFC Championship game will be in Green Bay, WI at Lambeau Field. Game time conditions for the 5:30pm start (CST) call for the temperature to be somewhere about -2 and a wind chill factor roughly about -25 degrees. What most people don’t realize is that Lambeau field, a natural grass turf field, also has heating coils underneath the ground (actually designed originally by Vince Lombardi). So, if the heating is working, the field won’t actually be frozen; but it will be a little sloppy. Snow flurries are also possible and it snowed in Green Bay pretty much all week.
My Predictions:
In the AFC Championship Game I like the New England Patriots in a very close game over San Diego Chargers: 31-28. I think this game will not be decided until very late in the 4th quarter. San Diego's defense is playing very well and I think this will be actually a pretty good game.
In the NFC Championship Game I like the Green Bay Packers running away from the New York Giants: Giants: 38-10. However, if the cold is such that the field heating system breaks down and the field is actually frozen tundra, then Packers 21-6. The Gaints defense has played well, but they are patched together in the secondary, they don't really have great linebackers, and their defensive line should be neutralized by the turf and the Packers' Offensive line (which last week held the Seahawks Pro Bowl tackle Pat Kerney to ZERO tackles). Also, not to be forgotten is that the Giants are a turf team. Home field is artifical and 9 of their last 10 games have been played on the artifical surfaces. In all likelihood they had to practice on artifical turf all week.
Easter Trivia:
For those of you into trivia this Easter presents some interest. Easter, as you all know, is celebrated (in the west) on the First Sunday on or before the first full moon after the vernal equinox (with a couple of other minor factors taken into account). While the formula was originally conceived at the Council of Nicea (although the exact wording was not recorded in the canons and is not fully retained) it wasn’t standardized until 1582 when the Catholic Church officially adopted the use of the Gregorian Calendar.
This year Easter falls on March 23rd the second earliest date possible (March 22nd has been the day of Easter only 15 times, the last being 1818 and it won’t happen again until 2285). The 23rd is actually the 2nd rarest date, having had Easter only 5 times and it will occur on this date next in 2160. For some odd reason March 24th is actually the rarest date, it has only seen Easter fall on it twice, but it will occur on the 24th again in 2091.
April 25th is the latest date Easter can occur, and actually that date will occur again in 2038. The second latest possible date, April 24th is coming up shortly in 2011.
Make certain to mark your Gregorian Calendars.