Pizza and Football and Politics

First, the pizza

Politico staged a taste-test of Godfather's Pizza last week. Republican presidential hopeful Heman Cain ran the pizza chain years ago and often touts that executive experience on the campaign trail.

Politico's taste panel panned the pie. It was silly. It drew criticism, some of it deserved, some of it over the toppings. Sorry. But basically, no one is going to vote for or against Herman Cain because Godfather's Pizza is or is not delicious. Bad pizza would not make the top 20 things about Cain's campaign that give me indigestion.

But it got me to thinking about the power of pizza.

I do have a warm spot for Godfather's. There was one in Mason City, where a high school friend and I would often go for pizza. One time, when we were among the marching Broncos bused in to march in the Band Festival parade, we actually walked all the way from downtown to that Godfather's on the east end of town. Not many people have walked actual miles to have Godfather's pizza. I have, I must admit.

Was it the best pizza I ever had? No.

I think that distinction goes to a pie I ate in Chicago at a restaurant with a name that now escapes me. I was just out of college and visiting Chicago for the first time. My first vacation from my first real job.

I was with a college buddy and we sat at an outdoor table in the middle of the city on a warm summer day. The beer was ice cold and the pizza was deep dish with peperoni and loads of cheese and fresh cilantro scattered on top. It was very good, but it was the day and the place and the feeling that made it truly great. Funny how stuff like that sticks in your mind.

I also fondly remember Home Team pizza at Drake, which was very cheap, and you got what you paid for, essentially. Still, I'd like to have one right now. Ditto with Community Pizza in Fort Dodge, that my then-future wife and I shared after we met. I'm sure you've all got pizza-sauce stained memories.

But I've never had a pizza so good that I wanted to make the guy who ran the joint president. There's always hope.  

Next, the football.

Speaking of the trivialities on the trail, let it never be said that I have never written a kind word about Rick Santorum.

Here is a

link to a video that appears to show Santorum at Saturday evening's Faith and Freedom event watching football on his tablet computer while Newt Gingrich speaks. If it's true, (the video is not definitive) it is awesome. Well, played, senator. I would have done the same thing.