It’s finally the last day of a rainy January here in Portland.  February holds promise even though no groundhog would ever see its shadow in this wet state. The month will include thoughts of my parents as they both would have celebrated their 99th birthdays. A trip to Las Vegas should get us out of the rain for at least a week. Valentine’s Day should inspire another poem. College baseball starts, Black History is at the forefront, the BIG will set the stage to soon determine a conference champion, Oscars will be handed out, Mardi Gras will be celebrated, and our U.S. President birthdays will be honored. Oh, and then there’s the 54th Big Game. 

I don’t have a team in this year’s Superbowl LIV, but there’s certainly a player favorite. Although I’ve never met Tyrann Mathieu or ever been to one of his games, I do have a story about him. He earned the nickname “Honey Badger” for his aggressive defense while at L.S.U. and became a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Nearly ten years ago my wife and I were having lunch at the Royal House Oyster Bar in the French Quarter. The place erupted when Tyrann scored on an electric 92-yard punt return against the Razorbacks to fuel a 41-17 victory. His “mom” came out of the kitchen to celebrate with the crowd. She apparently had worked there for many years, helping to put him through school. We just found it hard to believe that she was not at the game in Baton Rouge and instantly became part of her family. I hope she got the day off and went to the game when he played in the National Championship Game at the nearby Superdome. The Tigers had beaten Alabama in the regular season 9-6 but lost 21-0 for the overall crown. After spending a year away from the game, the “Honey Badger” was eventually drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, played for the Houston Texans, and is now a safety for the Super Bowl bound Kansas City Chiefs. 

I kept an eye on him after that New Orleans experience and will be watching on Sunday. Mathieu grew up in New Orleans and was eventually adopted at the age of 5 by his uncle “dad” and aunt “mom” after being raised by his grandparents. His biological mother disappeared after his birth father was incarcerated for murder. Needless to say, he had a tough life and football was his savior. He almost blew it when he was dismissed from the L.S.U. team his senior year after drug use allegations. The following year he was a third-round pick in the NFL draft and found his way. Hopefully, his 3 million plus paycheck got his “mom” out of the kitchen, even though she was clearly a customer favorite. 

Tyrann Mathieu has had a great year in his first season with the Chiefs. He’s had 75 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 2 sacks. As a fellow adoptee, I’ll be cheering for him on Sunday, hoping that Jimmy Garoppolo and his 49er receivers will be seeing the “Honey Badger” shadow in addition to the groundhog’s.