Little had a real feast against the Vikings' offense

Another Thanksgiving has passed, and if you weren't one of those shopping Friday, maybe you were home putting up your holiday decorations.

In my grandparents' case, it's a post-turkey tradition to set up the artificial Christmas trees. This year, it was my grandfather's idea to put one in every room of the house. I guess he was afraid when he walked into a room without a tree, he would begin to miss Christmas.

I was glancing at one of the trees on Sunday and admiring my grandfather's work when Leonard Little stole my attention.

In the Rams' win over the Vikings, Little followed the same symmetry by achieving one sack for every week he missed with injury.

Little missed the last four weeks with a strained pectoral muscle and came into the game a bit out of shape. Yet he was still able to decorate the final stat sheet so nicely with four sacks and two forced fumbles.

Little is like the one flasher bulb in the strand of Christmas lights. When he gets going, the whole defense starts flashing. The Rams had one sack in the last two weeks combined. On Sunday, they had a total of eight.

While the day for giving thanks has passed, there's still reason to celebrate. The Rams are getting healthy and the rest of the league is trembling.

By the way, am I the only one getting sick of turkey sandwiches for lunch?

Tuesday

They say working with simple math problems can leave you better prepared to problem solve in life. It took Dierbergs longer than expected to solve their employment enigma, but now they're giving away Doug Weight Rubik's Cubes to the first 15,000 fans at the Kings/Blues game. Hopefully, it won't take you quite as long to solve that puzzle as it took Dierbergs. 7 p.m.

Wednesday

Last year, Bruce Weber said the Southeast men's basketball team was improving. Of course, that was after Southern Illinois laid the lumber to Southeast. Now Webber is gone, and Southeast might have improved enough to steal a win on the road. Southern Illinois hosts Southeast at 7 p.m.

Friday

What do Chad Johnson, Mark Messier and the Missouri River Otters hockey team have in common? They all guarantee wins and deliver. As part of a new promotion, the River Otters will guarantee their fans an opportunity to see a win. Fans who see a loss will receive a ticket to the next home game for free. Your opportunity to make them prove it starts against the Quad City Mallards at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

It's conceivable that both of Southeast's basketball teams could contend for titles this year in the OVC. Both return home after tough road stretches, and the Show Me Center will host the first of many doubleheaders this season. The women's team plays Southern Arkansas at 5 p.m., and the men follow with the University of Missouri-Kansas City at 7:30.

David Wilson is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian and a student at Central High School. His column appears every Monday, except when he's writing basketball season previews.