Let's be careful out there …

So CNN posts story here on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas. This comes right out of the "too much information" file:

"December 26 could be one of the most dangerous days of the year for people vulnerable to cardiac problems, including heart attacks, arrhythmias, and heart failure. And many of these so-called Merry Christmas coronaries will hit people who didn't even realize they were at risk when they unwrapped their gifts the night before.

"But the holiday season isn't good for heart health to begin with. A 2004 study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Tufts University found that heart-related deaths increase by nearly 5 percent during the holidays, perhaps because patients delay seeking treatment for heart problems or because hospital staffing patterns change. But anecdotally, doctors say that their ERs stay quiet on Christmas Day itself. Then, come December 26, they see a surge of cardiac traffic.

"This time of year is notorious for heart attacks, heart failures, and arrhythmias," says Samin Sharma, MD, director of interventional cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

"In fact, 2008 may pose an even greater risk than years past. Added stress over the recession means you're already putting a lot of pressure on your heart, and that's before the holiday eating and drinking even begin. Here's how to steer clear of the hospital."

For crying out loud. Now we need to be aware that Christmas might make us sick.

Me … I prefer to remember the sight of my daughters opening presents, of one of them wishing Christmas could come twice a year, and saying that the best thing about it is seeing the faces of people when they open presents you pick out for them. Of course I'm not silly enough to believe she's not thinking of HER face when she opens her presents as well, but the thought that giving matters was nice to hear.

At midnight, she looked up from her new mini-laptop (the signature gift for the season) and said: "Goodbye Christmas, the best one ever." She's the effusive one. My other daughter … she's the quiet even-keeled one, which is interesting for an artist (though I should point both are very talented at art, and where that skill comes from I have no idea since a stick figure gives me problems). When her mini-laptop didn't work because of a plug problem, she shrugged and said "OK."

They do provide those moments don't they?

A Browns thought …

If … perhaps I should say "when" Romeo Crennel is relieved of his duties as Browns coach on Monday, I wonder this: Who will address the media about it? Phil Savage? Is that likely given his tenure seems tenuous at best? Mike Keenan? He's the team president, but he's more in charge of business and he's not been out front in terms of the public and media. Randy Lerner? Perhaps, but that's his style either. So who speaks? It's really irrelevant in the pursuit of Bill Cowher, but it's the kind of thing that I wonder about.