Week Five Crystal Ball - Weekend: Three Men on a Train
My friends, THE GURU is still in shock over the sudden passing of my buddy, Jeff. The man, the myth, the legend.
I’ll correct myself quickly as Jeff, of course, was no myth. He was as real as the nose on your face and as loyal as the day is long. He also possessed the heart of a lion, a touch of irony since one of his valves was replaced years ago and the part came from a pig, thus earning him the Ball nickname of PIGHEART JEFF.
I didn’t mention it in Thursday’s edition but, in addition to his many attributes, my old pal also had a great sense of humor and never failed to seize the moment. One of those opportunities occurred years ago, accompanied by yours truly and our buddy TOMMY BIRD.
The three of us loved to talk football over an ice-cold beer but, with busy lives, it was often difficult to find time to get together. So, we got creative and decided that, when all of us were commuting, we’d try to meet on the New Jersey Transit train bound for Hamilton to enjoy a can of beer while discussing the game we love.
Here’s how it worked: I’d get on the train at Penn Station in New York and Jeff and Tom would hop on separately in Newark. One of us would be in charge of getting the beers on a given day, usually a 24-ounce can of Yuengling or the like. Three beers for three guys. Perfect.
One of the beauties of taking the train from NYC or Newark: there are beer vendors near the platform at both locales, offering their wares to thirsty travelers. I challenge you to find a better way to commute.
With that backdrop, on one afternoon in 2005, we made a spur-of-the-moment late-afternoon decision to meet on the “Beer Train” to catch up. Excited to see my friends, I bought three beers on the platform and jumped on NJT in NYC. And I also texted both men so they’d know where I could be found on the train.
When the train got to Newark, JEFFY and T BIRD joined me and, as the three of us locked eyes on one another, we quickly realized our mistake: we’d failed to coordinate who would buy the beers so all three of us had brown paper bags of beer for ourselves and our comrades. Yup, we each had 72 oz. of Yuengling in our hands - the equivalent of a six pack - to consume in the 62-minute ride to Hamilton.
Man, we just couldn’t stop laughing.
I don’t recall if we finished the beers on the train - my prideful heart says that we did but my head says we didn’t - but, boy, it was a great time with my buddies. Laughter, lots of smiles and great camaraderie.
And, as TOMMY BIRD would attest, that’s what every instance was like when we hung with Jeff. Always fun, never a dull moment, always memorable.
It was Tom who called me Wednesday afternoon to deliver the devastating news of Jeff’s passing. We recounted the great times we had together, agreed that Jeff may have been the most optimistic person we’ve ever met and lamented the passing of a once-in-a-blue-moon human being.
There’s no two ways about it: mourning the passing of a dear friend is awful. But, with that mourning comes gratitude for the relationship. And I am grateful for the time I had with Jeff.
Grateful to God that he saw fit for Jeff and me to cross paths nearly 25 years ago. Grateful to Jeff’s parents for raising him as they did. Grateful to Jeff’s siblings for shaping the man he was. Grateful to his beloved sons - Zach, Jake and Alec - for sharing their dad with me. And grateful to his dear, sweet Barbara Jean for mending Jeff’s broken heart and giving him the best years of his life.
As I’ve written here, Jeff’s defining personality trait was his optimism, reflected in his appreciation for life and his belief that good things were just around the corner. That was reflected in how he felt about Our Beloved Commies as, even in the darkest days of the Daniel Snyder era, Jeff was always quick to find a silver lining.
He didn’t have to look hard for glimmers of light this season with Jayden Daniels & Co. lighting up the early-season scoreboard like few rookies have done in their first month of action. Indeed, Jeff was absolutely joyful about the franchise’s three-game winning streak, peppering me and other fellow MBC fans with Tweets and texts that reeked of joy.
Sadly, I won’t be getting any texts or other messages from Jeff when Washington (3-1, 1-0 home) hosts Cleveland (1-3, 1-1 away) tomorrow, but I know he’ll be watching from the best seat in the house. And that means we can count on Washington to take down the Browns. Do it for Jeff, men.
As for the rest of the schedule:1.
Minnesota (4-0) takes down the Jets (2-2) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London as Sam Darnold beats the team that drafted him. Kickoff is early in the U.S. - 9:30 a.m. ET - and you can catch the action on NFL Network.
In the 1 pm window…
…the Bears (2-2, 2-0 home) beat the visiting Panthers (1-3, 1-1 away)…
…Baltimore (2-2, 1-1 away) wins at Cincinnati (1-3, 0-2 home)…
…New England (1-3, 0-1 home) tops Miami (1-3, 0-1 away) in Foxboro…
…the Jags (0-4, 0-1 home) beat the traveling Colts (2-2, 0-1 away) for their first win of the season…
…Buffalo (3-1, 1-1 away) wins at Houston (3-1, 2-0 home), rebounding from last week’s loss to the Ravens…
In Sunday’s late afternoon games…
…the undermanned Raiders (2-2, 1-1 away) beat rival Denver (2-2, 0-1 home) at Mile High…
…San Fran (2-2, 2-0 home) crushes the visiting Cards (1-3, 0-1 away)….
….the host Rams (1-3, 0-1 home) get a big win against Green Bay (2-2, 1-1 away)…
…Seattle (3-1, 2-0 home) defeats the Giants (1-3, 1-1 away) as Geno Smith takes down his old team.
In the night games…
…Pittsburgh (3-1, 1-0 home) tops Dallas (2-2, 2-0 away) in western PA…
…the Chiefs (4-0, 2-0 home) outlast New Orleans (2-2, 1-1 away) to remain unbeaten.
One final note for this week: the bye teams are Dee-troit (3-1), the LA Chargers (2-2), Philly (2-2) and Tennessee (1-3). Recharge those batteries, men.
That’s all for this week, folks. Enjoy the games and please keep the Pomeroy family in your thoughts and prayers.
The season mark currently sits at 32-30 (.516).