Some you win, and some you tie

If you remember the old "Barney Miller" sitcom from the 70s and 80s, you might recall a scene in which Detective Harris, the well-dressed high-strung man, went out west on some sort of case, and he brought back a bolo tie to his Captain, Barney.

Barney loved it!  And started wearing it at once.  It was only later that Det. Wojciehowicz, under hypnosis to help recall details of a suspect, blurted out that "Harris brought this stupid tie back and gave it to Barney as a joke...but Barney didn't KNOW it was a joke so he was wearing it all over the place..."

Of course, he said all this in front of Barney, which is why you'll never get me under that spell.  I would tell tales out of school, also in school, before school and after school.  

When Merle Haggard looks at you askance...think it over

Bolo ties are the official neckwear of the state of Arizona, which is one of those states in which grown men stroll around dressed like Roy Rogers without the slightest trace of irony. And they are the favored neckwear of lesser-known political operatives, as well (picture). Of course, it was centuries ago that people decided that a man truly shows elegance when he wraps a yard of silk around his neck and knots it, or makes a bow as if he were a Christmas present, so what's the diff if he takes a long shoe string and doubles it to make a place to carry around some silver and turquoise jewelry?  

But, having so many other things on my mind (the complete list slips my mind at the moment) I have not given much thought to bolo ties for years, until this past Sunday when San Diego Charger quarterback slid one around his neck after the Chargers beat the hapless Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL wild card playoffs.

Rivers, out of Decatur, Alabama, by way of North Carolina State University, is said to favor bolo ties when celebrating victories in important games.

 With the Ravens out of the playoff picture, I will now root for Rivers and the Chargers, if only to see how many more bolo ties he can pull out of his wardrobe.