Nurse the Hate: NFL Week Ten

It is rare to see something exist in a perfect state.  When it happens, there is an innate beauty to the moment.  A machine running perfectly.  A cattle dog at work.  A sailboat cutting through the water.  In that brief moment, there is the opportunity to glimpse perfection.  I have felt in that spot only a handful of times in my life, where I was exactly where I was supposed to be, the universe in balance.  All of the puzzle pieces falling into place as if by grand design.  The key effortlessly turning the lock.  While this moment is rare, it does occur.  It is impossible to deny it when it happens.  To prevent it is foolhardy.  It reveals how powerless one being is in the web of life.  This week I have witnessed it again, at such close proximity that it is almost breathtaking.

When I chose Montgomery from his 13 brothers and sisters, I had no idea that he could see into the future with no effort.  To me, he just appeared to be the basset hound that was meant to provide me companionship.  Once again, the universe had placed me in the exact spot for which I was destined.  I had no idea that this dog had been blessed with such a magical gift.  Of course, he had no way to communicate that with me.  What a cruel irony to know the future in rich detail, but be unable to share it with others.  As soon as I walked in the door of the modest ranch house where he had been bred, he knew he would be coming back to Ohio with me.  He had foreseen it, exactly as he had known that Stanford would beat Oregon on Thursday night.  While the rest of us search the heavens for answers, this simple basset hound knows not only the answers but the questions that have yet to be asked.

At first I was concerned that his ability to pick games was nothing but a parlor trick.  That was before he picked Pitt to beat Notre Dame last night.  I now am not only convinced of his abilities, but am making every effort to help nurture this gift.  While I placed a large sum of money on Pitt, he contentedly chewed a treat.  Monty cares not if and how much we win.  No.  This animal is content in the moment, enjoying simple pleasures like a crunchy treat.  He calmly looks at me with a casual disregard.  He was no more concerned about Pitt winning that game than he is with the sunrise tomorrow.  It is something that simply is, like a mountain or a seaside breeze.  The outcome of the football game was a certainty, for he had seen it already played out with his own droopy eyes.

With a full slate of NFL action today, I asked Montgomery last night about the results of specific games.  He stared into the flames, looking at what was to unfold tomorrow.  Using our mutually agreed treat method, he did not flinch with indecision at any of the questions I asked.  Montgomery has shared with me the results of the following games...  Baltimore pick'em over Cincinnati, Denver -7 over San Diego, and Dallas +6 over New Orleans.  I trust this basset.  He knows.

Montgomery current record vs spread:  2-0