Premature Parting Shots*

Sure, writing two posts in one day after a fortnight of a hiatus seems a bit irrational, but you know what they say...come strong or don't come at all. I'm comin' strong, buddy. You best get out the way if you don't feel like being a part of it.

Ok, now that the unintentionally intentional non-sensical entry paragraph is out of the way, here's the meat and potatoes of the post. Sorry, here's the skin of the potato: Eventually I will be ridding myself of the New Englandness in me, be it soon or in a few years. Subconsciously I've been trying to train myself to like the local sports scene a little bit less than I have over the course of the last 28 or so years. It's been touch and go a few times, I can't lie. But I figure, when I move away from I need to be prepared for the inevitable separation of man and his team(s). Going to games won't be possible unless it's a road game and I'm probably not going to purchase all of the major sports packages for the television. I will need Sox games, I know that much.

I watched far fewer Sox games this season, but I think went to the most games I've been to in a while. This always helps if you're going to start weening off of catching every game in some way, shape or form. I guess I probably should have pointed out that this whole separation is also due to the fact that I am virtually unbearable to watch a game with if my team is involved. Well, I used to be. I've learned how to curb my enthusiasm a little bit, if you will. Sure, it's still there somewhere deep down, but I can hold it in for the most part (In game 6 of the ALCS this year, I erupted in one maniacal, pathetically emotional yelp when JD Drew hit that grand slam. I had been harboring some excitement I guess, and it literally just leaped out. Lauren looked at me in such a way that only someone who loves you/hates how seriously you take this shit can...). I have taught myself to care a little less and take it all a little less seriously and personally when they lose. That's the problem with me and a lot of sports fans around here. We take this shit really personally and that's not a healthy way to root. It took me a long time to realize that Wakefield's floater to Aaron Boone in 2003 wasn't an attack on me at all. When Lugo couldn't hit the ocean with rock, standing on the Tobin, it wasn't because he really wanted to make me miserable. He was just slumping. So I'm over that shit, once and for all. No more taking it personally. Sure, winning the '07 Series helps but it's more than that. I've taught myself.

Still, I will never let go of my love for the Sox. No matter where my life takes me they have some of my heart and soul because they just do. But I'll be ok with being away from it, since I've found some other things in life that matter more and can hold my attention more effectively. And that's saying a whole hell of a lot. The Patriots, on the other hand...

The SpyGate thing? Yeah, they made more of it than they should have and they still dwell on it when yammering on about the asterisk on the hypothesis of a perfect season. Maybe they should. Without going into whether or not every team in the NFL does the same thing or not, I was extremely disappointed when I learned of this whole camera investigation. For the longest time, I had viewed the Patriot franchise as one that was to be revered and modeled after in the world of pro sports. I know this view is/was shared by many others and it's not unique, sure. But from someone like me, who has been a devout fan and follower of this team since longer than I can remember, it was a great, big punch in the stomach. All I could think was, "screw you guys." It was like finding out that my best friend since I was 10 has been sleeping with my girlfriend for the last few months, and who knows who else that I've been with. Sue me for not being over it, because I'm not and I don't know when I will be.

I think what this current team is doing is a great thing because they're on the verge of doing something that has never been done before (if they can go 16-0 and then win out in the playoffs) but it's bittersweet. I would normally be beside myself for the simple fact that it's the Patriots...that it's Brady, the same guy who I see with his hands on his head, shaking that same head in disbelief after winning the big one at such a young age. Perhaps he wasn't shaking his head because he couldn't believe he had done it...maybe he was thinking "jeez, and none of these losers know that we cheated the whole fucking time!" Has he had an unfair advantage with knowing defenses and formations before the other team even knows what they're going to run? I don't know, none of us do. But I'm not over the disappointment. I still watch some of the games, none in their entirety this season but I watch a little. The defining moment of this season came when Brady was picked off to begin the 4th quarter in Indy. That was a huge pick, and it was going to be a big uphill climb to win. It was sure to be a phenomenal ending to the game, and I walked out of a livingroom with a tv that was showing the game. I walked out the door, got into my car and went home...45 minutes later, I flipped the game back on in time to see the time run off the clock...:04, :03, :02, :01...and I changed it. I said to Lauren, "they actually won." And she annoyedly replied, "yeah? that sucks, I wanted them to lose." In a way, so did I.

I had been in Indy last January when the wheels came off the bus and it all came crashing down. It was a very sobering experience. I was so looking forward to this showdown, until the SpyGate shit. I don't care that much anymore. I don't really care if they go undefeated, other than caring that it'll be an enormous historical impact on the sport of pro football. That's an interesting feat...unfortunately, it would forever be associated with that silly asterisk. And that is a shame. I guess it's pretty appropriate though...Bonds breaking Aaron's record, with an asterisk...maybe this in the same year? Makes sense. It's a sign of the times, perhaps.

In conclusion, I've learned how to be more lax in my fandom. And I've learned that I will always take the Sox with me, no matter where I go. Probably the C's, too. But I'm not sure about the Patriots. I feel like I've been burned by them and it's leaving a mark...or an asterisk.