January 8, 2000

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01/08/00 was the date of the Buffalo Bills last playoff game.

It’s remarkable, actually.

Bill Clinton was president. Alley McBeal was a hugely popular television show. Everybody Loves Raymond too.

My boys were six, three and newborn.

Rob Johnson was the Bills starting QB that day and Doug Flutie was the guy who probably should’ve started that game.

Regardless, they took the lead late in the game...

...just had to kick the ball off and tackle the runner.

They didn’t.

It was close to an illegal play, but in a foreshadowing of things to come, the game was decided by the refs.

A lot of people thought that the Bills could’ve made some noise that year...

...whatever...

...They’ll be back!!!

Almost 18 years to the day and the Bills will play the Jags.

If the pattern somehow holds, they’ll play their next playoff game in 2036.

I’ll be 71.

That’s not possible, right?

Lenny Kravitz was topping the charts back in 1999.

The Simpsons was a new show.

Donald Trump was just a NYC conman.

I was just 35 years old. I’d still play pickup basketball now and again. I golfed every week.

No one had ever heard of Tom Brady, or LeBron, or the Kardashians.

I recall that Titans-Bills game vividly.

Matt was with me. We watched the game at my Brother Jeff’s House. When the Bills scored to take the lead, there was a wild celebration.

No one was even bothering to watch the kickoff.

Then you could hear a pin drop.

“Is this for real?” Someone asked.

I heard that line again on Sunday when the Bengals scored.

“Is this for real?”

There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

“The Bills are in the playoffs,” Jake said, over and over on Monday morning.

“Isn’t that weird?”

Yeah.

It’s weird.

Gonna’ dig out the Kravitz cd.

Watch a little Ally McBeal.

Hope the next one doesn’t come in 2036.

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