Anyone who competes wants to win, not to finish third. And if you are part of a team, you certainly don’t want to be traded. Neither helps anyone’s self-esteem. Recently, both of those outcomes were part of Jon Dorenbos’ life experiences.
You may recognize the name due to one or both of his vocations. You see, Jon Dorenbos prior to this season spent 11 years with the Philadelphia Eagles as their long snapper. Just before this NFL regular season was to begin, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints.
Last TV season, he was on America’s Got Talent and finished in third place. He demonstrated a number of his magical skills as well as an endearing personality. It was as if the judges and the audience liked him as much for his personality as they did for his magic which, by the way, was exceptional.
Because of that show, people learned about Jon’s very difficult early childhood life. His father murdered his mother and spent Jon’s childhood in prison. He made a point of saying that magic had saved his life while growing up and certainly AGT changed his life. He appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show and became famous throughout the US.
The irony of this newfound fame as a magician was that spending 17 years as a long-snapper in the NFL, he was pretty much anonymous. Long snappers only gain any sort of fame if they mess up and Dorenbos almost never did. He was so steady in his performance that no one, for the most part, knew his name.
By finishing third on AGT, he was rewarded and, just this past week, by being traded he was rewarded again. How would that be? When a player is traded, they must undergo a physical. Dorenbos’ follow-up physical revealed that he had an aortic aneurysm and he would need to have open-heart surgery. The physical may have saved his life.
Dorenbos was one of the most popular Eagles in the locker room and the team was upset when he was traded. They rallied around him when they heard the medical news.
So, to recap:
Dorenbos’ life changes by his appearance on AGT.
He gets traded to the New Orleans Saints and must undergo a physical.
The trade probably saved his life – no physical + no knowledge of the heart problem.
The heart surgery will probably negate the trade and he will become an Eagle again.
It is obvious that magic is at work here in all aspects of his life. Just get through the surgery!
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- The NFL season started with a shock on Thursday night when the Chiefs beat the Patriots 42-27. It also started “Gary’s Guesses” off with a loss in his first pick of the year.
- The Eagles got a much needed win over Washington on Sunday. The offense, defense, and special teams all played well. Now they must travel to Kansas City (see above) this Sunday against Andy Reid. The Chiefs are favored.
- Penn State plays another easy opponent this week before they venture into the Big Ten against Iowa. They will play back-to-back games against Michigan and Ohio State in late October.
- Undefeated Easton takes on undefeated Parkland this Friday night. The game will be LIVE on RCN-TV at 7:00pm followed by the Liberty at Whitehall game at 10:00pm.
- Lafayette takes on #7 Villanova on Saturday night at 6:00pm on RCN-TV. Watch Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic battle immediately following the Lafayette game.
Gary’s Guesses: NFL Picks – (OVERALL – 10-5 – 67%)
Week Two
CINCINNATI
BALTIMORE
CAROLINA
ARIZONA
TENNESSEE
KANSAS CITY
NEW ENGLAND
PITTSBURGH
TAMPA BAY
LA CHARGERS
OAKLAND
DALLAS
LA RAMS
SEATTLE
GREEN BAY
DETROIT
