RJ's FIRST ST. LOUIS RAMS POST, 2010

Danny Amendola (above), with all the 21010 Rams, has been under the radar and off Sports Center until now, the NFL's penultimate week, Number 16.

Other than RB Steven Jackson (sixth 1000-yard plus season) and rookie overall first pick QB Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) has not missed a snap while breaking all-time rookie records, the team is virtually anonymous.

Many "die hard" (or long gone) Rams fans have dispersed in disgust during the past two years, during which the team won 3 games and lost 45. Yet, the team is one victory away from winning the--provide your own adjective: bizarre, preposterous, lowliest, shitty, etc.--NFC Western Conference.

At the start of the upcoming month-long tournament the playoff teams are chosen by proscribed pattern and rotation. And as the seasons roll along, this year the Western NFC champs host a first-round elimination game.

The winner, after Sunday's games, will be either the Rams at 8-8 or the Seattle Seahawks at an unprecedented, humiliating record of 7-9. If the latter, the fact of a sub-.500 team hosting an opening round playoff game is, to some, unconstitutional.

But others say, "The rules are the rules." (Repeat: "What would Lombardi do?")

Before we move a second further into future hypothesis, let's get to Sunday's Rams-Seattle win-or-go-home game on January 2, 2011. The game, being the most pivotal and crucial tilt, has been "flexed" by the network masters. Those who select such things have re-slotted the game into prime time: 8:20 p.m. EDT. It has been many moons since the St. Louis Rams have been shown in action on TV everywhere, it being the singular, and final, Sunday Night Game on NBC.

'Hawks fans are lighting incense, meditating and donating money to Haiti, to pray the Almighty Football Gods. If you have ever been, or are, under their spell, read on. If not, click away, Google something else. Fans all over the Northwest are hoping against hope that veteran starting QB Matt Hasselbeck, who will not practice all week, can jump up from his multiple knee injuries and the "unusual" hip injury which knocked him out early in yesterday's blowout loss to red hot Tampa Bay and play in the game.

With the Bald Matt Has-been out, Seattle sent in the barely-experienced, who starts this Sunday in Qwest Field, for the second time in his career. First time out he threw one touchdown and three interceptions. On paper, Whitey & The Seabirds are no match for the Rams and Bradford. who beat Seattle 30-3 in their previous match.

As one who has watched every Rams game since I became addicted in 1965, I have never missed a single game, with no exception, in person, or by nefarious ways and means. This upcoming one will be about my 1017th consecutive game.

But for the Rams to win Sunday’s NFL main event, to assure victory for the visiting Rams, it will require, a top-notch performance by WR-KR Danny Amendola. Unknown and undrafted last year, he slipped into the Rams squad in mid-2009.

Today he leads the NFL with a 2,267 total combined yardage. That is about 47% of the ground gained this year by the entire Rams squad. Out of the slot he is Bradford's throw-to guy, catching quickly, then darting around like a rabbit on speed. He leads the team in kickoff and punt returns and popped an 84-yard rip through the 49ers in yesterday's win.

Amendola also handles reverses, end-around plays; he threw a pass yesterday from one of these formations. The second-year man from Texas Tech fits the typical size of the "little" guys from that school. Amendola is listed at 5'11" and 186 pounds.

In six days he can help lift the Rams into postseason play. Check out #16 Sunday. And, if the Rams can squeeze out a win, Danny is sure to thrill the home crowd in the Edward Jones Dome, where a yet-to-be-determined opponent will be meeting him and the Rams in St. Louie on January 8th or 9th, 2011.

UPDATE:

Over the decades, there’s been much to like about ESPN’S Chris Berman. He has been to Hawaii often. But Berman certainly lives in a bigtime media bubble while here on assignment. Unlike many legendary sportscasters who lived and worked in Honolulu—Les Keiter, Harry Kalas and Al Michaels—Berman is not akamai (hip to) the native tongue. Tonight, in signing off another season of Monday Night Football, Berman rolled out an acceptable Merry Christmas—Mele Kalikiimaka.

But then boomer plowed on, to Happy New Year—correctly it is Hauoli Makahiki Hou. It came out, “HOWLIE-maga-giggy ho.” For those of you who know how to say this simple salutation, this triple bungle sounded like fingernails on a blackboard. Chris, please practice, “how-O’LAY mah-kah-hiki HO,” frequently before you attempt it again aloud, on-air. All your cred dissolves with kukae like this, making you sound like one lolo coast haole.