Patriot Pride, or something
As was mentioned in the inaugural podcast, I have a slight crush on the New York Jets. I think they are awesome. Except for their defense. And their offense. Both of those things are quite weak. Everything else about the Jets, I love.
There are two things I dislike about professional football. The first thing is the CFL. What a cute little league that is, what with it’s three downs and rewards for missing a field goal and all. The second thing is the New England Patriots. The Jets play in the same division as them, they’ve won three Superbowls in the past six years, and their coach/quarterback/star receiver don’t make awkward cameos on Sesame Street.
I loathe the Patriots.
And yet… I find myself rooting for them as they continue their march towards perfection. It defies all logic. It’s like God deciding to root for the devil, except in this case, the devil is impossibly attractive and dating a supermodel. I watch the Patriots week in and week out, and my brain understands and acknowledges that I hate them and want them to lose… but deep down, inexplicably, my heart is pulling for them to win.
(Semi-related Seinfeld quote: “I mean, I know it’s the wrong thing to do, I know it’s wrong, but I can’t get that hand off my leg! I mean, I’m looking at the hand, thinking that hand should not be on my leg, but I can’t get my brain to make my mouth to say the words, ‘Would you mind?’”)
Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. This is not sports bigamy. I don’t “like” the Patriots. They’re not my 2nd favorite team. If the Jets were 10-4 right now, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But that’s not the case. The Jets are 3-11. It’s been one of the most depressing NFL seasons in recent memory for me. I have nothing left to look forward to… except the chance to witness history.
I want the Patriots to beat the Steelers in the second round of the play-offs (though that game poses as much of a threat to the Pats as RMC does to the U of W at the Wesmen Classic next week). I want them to crush Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship game. I want them to stomp all over Brett Favre (my girlfriend’s-crush-du-jour) in the Superbowl. I want 19-0, baby!
And now I want to throw up.
Heavens to Betsy, I love sports.
Two guys who love sports, almost more than women...
December 21st, 2007 at 2:05 pm
That Sesame Street clip was painful. I couldn’t get through the first minute.
I don’t get the way people hate the Patriots. They’re good. Period. Is that so horrible? Remember that for years, essentially their entire existence, they stunk. Horribly. Maybe it was the uniforms and that very unimposing logo of a “patriot” in a three-point stance on their helmets. All I know is that from the mid-80s on, the Patriots and the Buccaneers (speaking about terrible uniforms) were on every sports highlight reel that featured an opposing team making hail mary passes, breaking one up the middle and generally padding their stats against hapless opponents. Save for the 1985 Super Bowl when the Pats were the sacrifical lambs to the Bears, they’ve been laughing stocks. And now karma - or perhaps good scouting and coaching - has elevated them to the heights of the mighty and powerful in football. And what’s wrong with that? After all those years of futility don’t they deserve some good times? Trust me. It pains the foundations of my soul to see the Red Sox become a powerhouse over my beloved Yankees. But, really, don’t they deserve it both in the Karmic and ‘good scouting’ sense? (Ugh. Now I need to throw up). Sure, we can all bitterly lament for out teams like Artie Pye (’Eye in the Sky’) when he says to Kent Brockman “when’s my time Kent!? When’s my time!?”. But that’s the beauty of sports (and politics). There’s such competition that staying on the mountain top is perhaps tougher than getting there in the first place. And the Patriots and Red Sox deserve it.
Oh … and don’t feed David’s ego like that. He’ll be even more insufferable than he already is.
December 21st, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Garasa, you all have to understand, doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
Come on Julio… you’re allowed to loathe a team. Swatter hates them because they play in his team’s division, I hate them because Bellichick is a complete jack-ass, Harrison is a roider and I’m tired of hearing about them.
Enough with the karma talk. Hatred is what makes the sports world go around.