Sunday I watched the Denver Broncos beat the New England Patriots in what turned out to be a remarkably good football game. I went into my daughter’s home with her in-laws present in large numbers and the place was awash in blue (red and white trim) jerseys. Her husband and his family are from Boston. And they show a dedication to their regional teams at a level that I find is — a bit over-the-top. Naturally, I favored the Broncos and had to tread softly when they won. It’s not as if fists would have flown (I suspect they fear that I would prevail against five men and their angry wives – my daughter would have sat a fight out). The in-laws/outlaws are all former Navy or Marine Corps, not that it matters. 
Since New England won’t be in the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks, I invited my son-in-law to my house for the big game. At least one other son-in-law will be at the house. I’ll BBQ burgers and dogs. He said that he had to get over the Patriot’s loss and that it would take a few days for him to clear his head. He is serious about that. Serious as a heart attack. I love football. I should be the coach. If they listened to me (sitting at home on a couch), things would go MUCH BETTER for any team. I just don’t make bonehead mistakes the way the people in the stadium do at times. For the record, if I was the coach of the Dallas Cowboys, they would win the Super Bowl. The fact that they’re not even close this year is mute testament of how much they need me to take charge from my armchair.
Logo of the Lake Elsinore Storm
Baseball Team

I’m not a regional sports team fan. I don’t “support” (whatever ‘support’ is supposed to mean) teams because they are local. I like the Chicago Blackhawks for ice hockey, and while Chicago is one of the truly great eating cities in the world, I don’t want to live in Chicago. I roll like that when it comes to sports teams. I do like going to watch the Lake Elsinore Storm (AA baseball) play because the stadium is small, and the players turn over as they are sent up to or down from the majors. AA players make more mistakes and seem a bit more human than the rock-star major league players. Any seat is about $5.00. The dog and soda are another fiver.

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28 COMMENTS

  4. They should have kicked the easy field goal at 4th and one. They might have won. As to Belichick, he's a genius. Truly is. Best coach in the NFL.

  6. When your grandson is a bit older you can watch the games with him. A bit older still and you can watch him play.

  8. Yes, Chicago is a great food town, but not so much of a life town.

    Patriots: they just unceremoniously fired their offensive line coach because Brady got hit too many times. And the entire Patriots Nation is in mourning, after what they consider a failed season.

    The Pats get to the AFC Championship for the 5th straight year, and its a failed season. And heads must roll. Boy, what spoiled cry babies these Bostonians are, your in-laws included LL.

    If the Chicago Bears had gotten to the NFC Championship game, all the coaches would have gotten big fat juicy contract extensions, and would have been carried through the streets on the shoulders of ecstatic, jubilant fans. The year would have been considered wildly successful, I can guarantee that right now.

    Note to Pats fans: grow up, and get over it, you pathetic, big fat babies. Sheesh.

  10. My daughter's in-laws are that way about ALL New England teams. If the Bruins don't win the Stanley Cup, it's another crisis, etc. She finds it a bit annoying because while I follow sports, I don't obsess about wins and losses like that (in the slightest). I view it as a game. I don't know what her in-laws would be like if they had money on the game. They don't have the temperament for that.

    The Patriots are a solid team and produce solid results. You can't ever count them out, but their fans are exceptionally fickle. — however (chuckle) the Broncos did rush Brady with most of his passing efforts.

  11. I'm all in favor of eating in Chicago, then living elsewhere.
    When it comes to sports teams, my support is fairly parochial.
    I'm not as big a fanatic as I once was.
    I'm thrilled when they win.
    Losing doesn't cause me distress.

  12. I commented that I remembered the first Super Bowl. A hush in the room followed as they ran the mental abacus and realized that, "YES, he is that old."

  13. My in laws are all from New England, so I must tread soft ground when criticizing them, but I didn't sleep on the couch when Tom CryBrady Brady lost to the Broncos. To pull out of the Pro Bowl, and let Jamais Winston got into the Pro Bowl in his place, makes me this of a cry baby. Maybe I'm too critical.

  15. Oh My God…you eat dogs? Yelp. OK, coach, get yourself over here and lets see how you fair with PROPER football. There's a job going at Chelsea if you can follow in Mourinho's footsteps for as he says, there is God and then there is him. Clearly, what he meant to say was, "There is Larry and then there is me."

  18. I've heard that the St. Louis Rams are returning to Los Angeles to be the LA Lambs once again. There is talk that the Chargers will come up from San Diego to play in Los Angeles. The City and County of San Diego have said that they need to increase taxes to afford keeping the Chargers.

    Really?

  19. The only time that I ate real dog was in Korea. They serve Yellow Lab, bar-b-qued.

    Dogs, with a dash of mustard, smothered in chili and onions are no small thing, Ms. I'm British and I call them sausages… ;^)

    Here in the US of A, we don't eat them with a fork in our left hand and a knife in our right. You have to pick them up, and they're messy and you'll get chili on your hands (but it washes off).

  20. The best thing out of Chicago is I-90. Even the food isn't worth going there. In case you didn't notice, I am not a fan of Chicago anything. I am glad Denver won, too. But they had better bring their A game against the Panthers.

  22. I think that the Panthers will win the Super Bowl unless they fumble a lot and turn the ball over an obscene number of times.

  23. It really hurts old guys when they play rugby, and they bleed more than young guys do. I'm writing this in reply to Brig the Berserker, who carries a handgun and a cattle prod in her purse…

  25. I have to keep everything in perspective for this blog's readers. BOLD, TRUTHFUL and UNAFRAID, like my favorite berserker.

  27. You're all animals….;) now pick up your knife and fork and tuck your serviette in property or I'll slap your fingers.

  28. The more appropriate term is "barbarians" or "berserkers".

    During WW2, the English men said of the Americans who came to save them that there were three things wrong with American men: "They're over-paid, over-sexed and over here." Tough to argue with their logic.

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