WOW! What a great couple of days for Massachusetts. First, the New England "Team of Destiny" Patriots defeated the hapless Indianapolis Colts, paving their way to their second Super Bowl in three years. What a feeling! Then, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) takes the Iowa Caucuses, hammering the Vermont Madman, Howard Dean. I am really going to enjoy smiling at all those college students with "Dean for America" stickers. Do you think they feel a little bit stupid after giving his campaign 20 bucks on their Daddy's credit card?
And just imagining how Philadelphia sports fans are feeling right now makes me absolutely giddy. I mean, losing three straight conference championship games ... that can't feel good. Since the Patriots are 4-0 in conference championship games, I really don't relate to rooting for a team incapable of making the Super Bowl with so many opportunities. The descent of Philadelphia from sports mecca to sports joke has been quite a thing to watch. To prove my point, I refer you to the Web site www.phillysucks.com, which consists only of a timer measuring how long it has been since a Philadelphia professional sports team has won a championship. It's at over 7,000 days. HA!
The Patriots' potential coronation as the premiere post-9-11 sports team (it was then they went from NFL laughing-stock to "Team of Destiny") was almost ruined though by the AU community. After the game, I went to the Letts-Anderson Quadrangle in my Pats gear (a mask and a shirt) hoping to celebrate with my football brethren. Instead, I was greeted by the regular quad crowd: a few students smoking cigarettes. It should be noted that those smokers were very happy for me and my team.
Let's compare this to the events of Oct. 17, 2003. Just after the stroke of midnight, Aaron "Bleepin'" Boone hit a moonshot home run off of Tim Wakefield. The Boston Red Sox had once again come up just short in beating the New York Yankees, only to be dealt heartbreak and sorrow. This, by the way, was my worst college experience ever, eclipsing break-ups, alcohol poisonings and the various write-ups at the hands of overzealous RAs.
Immediately after the game and the subsequent temper-fit, I decided to go all emo and revel in my sadness instead of avoiding it. And what would be a better way to revel in sadness than by going to the quad after the Yankees miraculous comeback win? There I sat, watching about a hundred joyous Yankees "fans" singing "New York, New York," and chanting "1918." I gloated knowing that I was a better person than they were. I also knew I was a real fan. Those pro-Yankee imbeciles were chanting "57" because they thought that was how many World Series they had won. The real number is 26. Most of them also could not identify the Yankees starting lineup. It must be fun to celebrate a victory without putting any effort into rooting for a team. That's New York character for you.
So, where was everyone for the Patriots trip to the Super Bowl? Granted, there were a few differences between the events of Oct. 17 and last Sunday. The Patriots game ended at 6:30 p.m., not at midnight. The Colts and Patriots certainly weren't sworn enemies like the Red Sox and "The Evil Empire." And, of course, Boston sports fans just aren't like Yankees fans. However, I would really enjoy a Boston rally around here. SO, after the Super Bowl, IF the Patsies win, I want every Patriots fan in the quad. I'll be there smoking a victory cigar and chanting "Yankees Suck," er, "Panthers Suck"
