Take a deep, cleansing breath or four.

And enjoy the following football metaphor.

Yes, Sarah Palin did great last night. But a little perspective: it's one night in a campaign that, at last check, is scheduled to last two more months.

I'll avoid the baseball terminology everyone else uses and instead will compare her to the greatest running back ever to lace up cleats: Mr. Barry Sanders.

Lions fans like myself (though I barely cling (HA!) to the title) remember that Barry was a back who could astonish you on a five yard run, making several NFL defenders look like they had strange nervous disorders in the process. He saw the field, watched as the usually outmanned offensive line failed to keep holes open, reversed course, and spun and juked his way to a decent gain that lesser mortals could not have achieved.

That's what Sarah Palin did last night. For three days, the GOP reeled under every stupid, lying attack tossed at their VP designate and tossed the ball to Palin. Against the odds, she dazzled her way for a nice gain and left her critics looking stupid.

Good stuff. I was cheering for her and she came through, big time. But in terms of the campaign, all she got was a first down. That's all she could get, realistically speaking, and it was definitely a play to remember.

But there's another two quarters to go, and the GOP ticket is still behind.

In the immortal words of George Lucas: "Don't get cocky, kid."

And also remember this: the Lions never won a title with Barry Sanders.

"Cold water splashed on Palinmania: Check."