SB Nation User Blog: Sudden

Some Good News on an Otherwise Rough Day

Sudden — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:42:48 -0000

The Chiefs no longer have A. Toomer, and neither does my girlfriend.

She had her surgery on Thursday and it took a good seven hours, but the doctors were able to remove 99.9% of the tumor (they had to leave a bit that was on the vein that drains blood out of the brain because it was too risky to go after it there). She'll have to go in for a few follow up MRIs to make sure everything is going well, but it looks like she's in the clear now. She is still in some pain, having some headaches and feeling very weak, but she is recovering pretty quickly and was released from the hospital this morning. I just wanted to thank all of you who kept us in your thoughts and prayers, it really helped us get through this whole ordeal.

Things Aren't Always As Bad As They Seem

Sudden — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:06:55 -0000

From the FanPosts. -Chris

I was at Big Charlie's Saloon on Saturday night. I had the rare opportunity to meet Scott Pioli. I originally intended to do a lengthy post about my trip to philly, how cool Big Charlie's is, and show the pictures of Pioli signing my shirt and just generally brag about that whole experience. I'll tell you this much about Pioli, he really is a man of the people. He treated all of us in that bar with respect and dignity. He listened to our concerns, told jokes and laughed with us, and was as accessible a personality as I ever could've imagined.

He is a smart guy with a long term vision and even though this season has started off rough, I have every confidence that he knows what he's doing. Whitlock says he is an ego, and maybe that ego shines through when he's dealing with as big an ego as Whitlock himself.

But in that small bar in South Philly among some of the most passionate and die-hard fans the Chiefs have, he was one of us. It would be easy to be detached and distant and even egotistical when you're an NFL GM and you're among regular beer-drinking joes, but he wasn't.

For a half hour, Scott Pioli was one of us. He wasn't able to stay around for long, so he wasn't able to have a one on one conversation with everyone gathered in the most random Chiefs bar in South Philly, but he did address the group as a whole.

There is one thing he told us, and something that other recent events in my life are reinforcing the wisdom of: Be Patient.

Little did I know how meaningful that advice would be only a few short days later.

Events come at you pretty quickly in this life, and those first reactions when something bad happens are often emotional. Your thoughts get clouded. You think that the world is going to end. You turn off all rational thought. That's what I felt like after leaving the Linc on sunday afternoon. I thought: here we go again, another long painful season. I had visions of 0-16. I didn't think rationally. I lost my patience and along with it, I over-reacted and and imagined a situation worse than what actually is.

Yesterday, my girlfriend was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The second I heard those words, I lost it. Every ounce of thought in my head fluttered away and I was left with raw emotion. Fear, worry, panic. The tears were overwhelming. I felt like the worst possible thing had happened. But when the tears subsided, and the diagnosis became more clear, I realized I had overreacted. I realized that the diagnosis wasn't as bad as those two words first sound to the untrained ear. Things are going to be tough, no doubt, but that there was a plan, a course of action, and a protocol that the doctors were following that would make sure everything would turn out alright. When I settled down and started listening to what the doctor actually said about the situation, I learned that the tumor is benign, not cancerous, and that there was a 99.9% survival rate for surgery that she is going to undergo next week. This doctor has been involved in this surgery a thousand times for this kind of tumor (an angioma). She had kidney cancer when she was 3, and the neurosurgeon said that the radiation from the chemo likely caused the tumor, and that the tumor has probably been there since she was a kid around 5 years old and has just been really slow growing since then. Its not actually on her brain, but its on the membrane surrounding the brain and the growth of it (about the size of a baseball) has been pushing into her occipital lobe, causing the migraines and lightheadedness that prompted her to get an MRI. There is an 85% chance that she will never have a reoccurance of this tumor. Those two words initially scared the living shit out of me, but when I started listening to the facts, when I started thinking rationally and not reacting purely emotionally; when I finally regained my patience, I realized how fortunate we are. I realized that this was a challenge that would demand our focus, but that things are not always as bad as they seem.

That initial physical she had was like the game at Baltimore. We knew the symptoms (the preseason), but we didn't know what to expect. The results were ambiguous; further tests would be needed. The MRI was like the Raiders game. Everything went as we expected, until the final results came. The MRI was abnormal. Something was wrong. The trip to the neurologist was like Philly. It seemed like the worst possible thing that could happen did. Those two words were spoken, and the world around me started to spin. The despair, the pain, the agony, and the worry that I had that I would lose the one person that I have loved with such passion, the one person who I knew from the moment I met her that she was the one. You hear the words "brain tumor" and you stop thinking, you just react. It seemed like the worst possible result. But as the situation sunk in and I started hearing more about the tumor, I realized that not all hope is lost. I realized that this was a test, a challenge, and a burden, but that we would get through this and everything will be fixed in time. The game this sunday against the Giants will be like the surgery. It's all on the line. Its going to be a challenge, its going to feel like forever, and there will be difficulties. But we will emerge on the other side of it stronger than we were when we entered.

So I am asking you all, let's not react with our hearts on our sleeves. I gained a lot of perspective on life over the last 24 hours. Things aren't always as bad as they initially seem. Patience will guide us through the tough times and when we are finally rewarded with the good times and the good news, it will be all that much more rewarding because we know what we had to deal with to get there, we know that challenges we've faced and overcome in the process, and we can rest assured that our character will be stronger, wiser, and more tested than any other because we've confronted the worst possible scenarios and conquered them.

Roll Call: Philadelphia

Sudden — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:50:59 -0000

In less than 24 hours, I will board a flight from Los Angeles, CA to Philadelphia, PA. That's a hell of a long trip and an expensive overall experience to see a game that all those pundits and prognosticators thought would be a blowout and a big Iggles win before the season started. Admittedly, I figured McNabb would be injured by week 3 like he always is and as part of my NFL stadium tour (visit a new stadium every year with an old college friend), I opted to check out the relatively new Linc and visit a city of rich history that I have never been to. I'm sitting on the visitors bench side, row 5, around the 30 yard line in case anyone else is in the area. Looking forward to seeing the Chiefs pull a big road upset and I realize I will have to keep my alcohol consumption and resulting Tomahawk Chop a bit under wraps this weekend in order to ensure my own personal safety. That is, unless I can find a few more scrappy Chiefs fans willing to show up in Philly in red and gold and show the Eagles fans unfettered passion not afraid of a few green men.

So here it is, The Roll Call. Who is gonna be in Philly this weekend?

Clark Hunt NFL's 15th Best Owner

Sudden — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:19:44 -0000

Clark Hunt NFL's 15th Best Owner

The Cryptkeeper is dead last. And you have to suck bad to finish below William Clay Ford and Mike Brown.

Clark also has the hottest wife. Nice.

Thank You DT

Sudden — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:28:23 -0000

I wanted to create this thread to thank Derrick Thomas for everything he means to me, to us, and to the entire world. Feel free to share your own thanks. Its days like this that I am overwhelmed with emotions because I feel great sadness that he is not with us today to see the culmination of his glorious career, but I am alternately filled with immense joy that he is finally getting the recognition that he has long deserved. There will never be another player in the NFL who comes remotely close to filling his shoes.

Thank you Derrick for making me a Chiefs fan.

Thank you Derrick for a decade of service to the greatest franchise in professional sports.

Thank you Derrick for showing me what true character is.

Thank you Derrick for making the number 58 forever and always my favorite number.

Thank you Derrick for filling the hearts of the Arrowhead faithful with pride and joy.

Thank you Derrick for being the heart and soul of one of the greatest and most underrated defenses ever to take a field.

Thank you Derrick for the Third and Long Foundation, the work you have done in the community, and the legacy you created that will live on through the charitable works that embody the heart, passion, and strength that was at your very core.

Thank you Derrick for teaching me how to be a man through your example, your spirit, and your life.

You are dearly missed.

Raiders Workout UC Davis CB Richard Rolle

Sudden — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:01:00 -0000

Raiders Workout UC Davis CB Richard Rolle

Fast guy according to the linked video. The cryptkeeper proves again his insatiable thirst for speed.

Visiting the Linc

Sudden — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:53:04 -0000

I am going to be visiting the Linc on Sept 27 to see my Chiefs play there. Essentially, what I want to know is how can I make it out alive. I've always had some love for the Iggles, one of only two NFC teams I have any real liking for (the other being the Bears cuz I lived in Chicago as a kid). The Eagles and Chiefs have some common threads, our old HC Herm Edwards was a DB for you guys during Vermeil's tenure as HC. And of course Vermeil was our HC at one point too. Anyhow, I'm a Chiefs fan first and foremost and will be wearing my road uni while at the Linc. I won't be obnoxious, but I'll definitely cheer if and when my Chiefs score. I am thinking I should be safe, as the prospects of the Chiefs winning are rather dim and its not like we're an in conference team that would be hated for any reason by Philly fans, but I guess I was wondering if there are any precautionary recommendations you guys had to help one fan of good football survive the Linc experience.

HBO "Hard Knocks" to feature Bengals

Sudden — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:02:32 -0000

HBO "Hard Knocks" to feature Bengals

In case you're wondering, HBO already had a show that featured the Cincinatti Bengals prominently, it was called "Oz"

The Jolly Red Giant

Sudden — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:22:03 -0000

Tony Gonzales is no longer a Chief. His replacement was drafted last year, out of a school that seems to have a knack for producing NFL talent (Tennessee). Brad Cottom is the most massive pile of humanity I have seen at a skill position in the NFL. I have this feeling that Cassel and Haley are looking forward to jump balls in the end zone for Cottom, the man who shall hereafter be known as the Jolly Red Giant. Obviously, he is not Tony Gonzales. But we all knew Tony was getting long in the tooth and this trade gave us the opportunity to get some value out of him that will benefit us for years after his retirement. It is sad to see such a professional leave the organization that he left his stamp on. After my initial reactions and really collecting my thoughts on the subject, I have realized that this is the right move.

I think this trade demonstrates the confidence that Haley and Pioli have in the Jolly Red Giant. It is his time in KC and I look forward to seeing what Cottom can do for this team.

NFL Stadium Tour

Sudden — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:51:29 -0000

So every year, an old college buddy and I fly to a new city and see a game at a new stadium. Fortunately, my friend is not a fan of any team specifically, so he has been down to visit a stadium that the Chiefs are playing at when we do these trips. Well, he and I have narrowed our list down to three potential games based on cities we've never been to (we both live in California), stadiums and teams we'd like to see, and interesting games (crossed the late season stuff off the list so that we can see a game that we know will have some meaning). I would appreciate greatly your votes on which of the three games to check out and any recommendations on sites to check out while in that city. The three are @Philly, @Washington, and @Jacksonville. Personally, I'm leaning toward Philly right now, but I am open to any advice especially from anyone who has been to any of these cities themselves.

Poll

Which Game Should I Attend?

@ Philadelphia

35 votes

@ Washington

18 votes

@ Jacksonville

14 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed