Can’t they wear matching shoes?

Hey, the Super Bowl is coming up! There are some great commercials, if you manage to sit through the football game that breaks up the advertisement time. It’s possible. (I kid. I’ve only watched the Super Bowl once, and was equally interested in the game and the ads.) Consider this my Super Bowl article.

Remember how I said I won my fantasy football league despite knowing nothing about football. I have friends who are similar to me–we like sports, but football is a weak spot in our knowledge. My friend Cathleen called a couple of months ago. She said, “Did you know the kicker in football wears two different shoes?” I had no idea. She was watching a game with her boyfriend, and noticed that his shoes were two different colors.

Now, while I didn’t know why a kicker would wear two different shoes, I could imagine that there would be a very good reason for it. I had no problem with needing a specialized shoe for the kicking foot. The question I had–and still have–is why they can’t at least look similar. Can’t both shoes be made to be the same color and pattern? Walk into a shoe store–even a specialized athletic shoe store–and look at all the different patterns and designs and styles. You cannot tell me that shoe manufacturers couldn’t sell pairs of shoes, with one kicking shoe and one normal shoe. I simply refuse to believe it. Brief internet research shows that it’s the “style” of kickers to do this. Well, yes, but three-foot bouffant hair styles were once fashion, too, until people realized they were ridiculous.

Incidentally, the kickers two shoes are different because of cleats. (Or so brief internet research has shown). The foot that’s planted has cleats, to keep the kicker from slipping falling over. The foot that kicks does not have cleats, so the shoe slides across the grass (or artificial turf, as the case may be) to increase speed for kicking. That makes sense to me, and as I initially stated, I have no problem with this. Just wear matching shoes.

Super Bowl prediction: I don’t know a lot about football, but I do know that it’s the Cardinals (formerly of St. Louis) versus the Steelers (of Pittsburgh, where the Penguins and Pirates play). But I can tell you with 100% certainty which team will win: the team that scores the most points.

Timberwolves update: 16-28 (3-1 since last time, 12-13 since McHale). Basketball owners may want to note that McHale is doing better as a coach than he was as a general manager.

Marian Gaborik Injury Status: My fruit snacks today were evenly balanced in color, which was aesthetically pleasing. Also, there’s nothing to report on Mr. Injury.