Monday, November 5, 2007

Day 5 - The Loss

Final Score: 24 - 20

So I took some time to mourn The Loss, and figured I'd better open the blinds and let the sunshine in to shake my blues. I can't mope all day, though I want to. But it's time to brush the dust off and remember it was just a game. Boy that's hard. The only thing that helps it feel a little better, is knowing that I was not alone in my sorrow. Every Colts fan across the nation felt the same way when the Colts were not able to stop the Patriots right before the 2-minute warning. To watch Tom Brady kneel and run out the clock was painful. How does one literally feel the wind get knocked out of them without being physically touched? That was the feeling. Precisely. If you listened closely outside after the game, you could hear the sound of Taps coming out from every chimney in Indiana. Am I being overly dramatic? Good - because I'm still sulking. As an avid fan, you invest so much feeling into the whole experience. You consider it your Team. Yours alone. Every fan thinks that. It's my team. You stop to get gas - you're surrounded by fans in jerseys at the pumps beside you. You buy a soda or a pack of gum - and discuss your team with the check-out clerk. You waste so much time at work talking about the 'what ifs' with your collegues. You go anywhere - the mall, the movies, to dine, for a walk - and you're a part of IT. It gives everyone, from every walk of life, a common topic and united front to rally over. And then the media hypes it beyond what you could ever imagine, and suddenly you can't help but get sucked into the vortex of the intense excitement and anxiety of it all. So you see, how could we not be gasping for our breath at 7:15 last night? And still today...

Nahant, MA. Boston, MA. Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Zionsville, IN. Gloucester, MA. Indianapolis, IN. That was the order of telephone calls received before, during and after The Game. My good friend back East shook my virtual hand and said Good Luck. And I know she meant it. One of my uncles called to ask me if I like mustard or ketchup on my Horseburgers. And he meant it. My great aunt all the way in Canada, who admittedly doesn't know a thing about sports, called to say (with such excitement) that she couldn't believe we were up 6 points (She doesn't know that's how much 1 touchdown is worth. I think she was thinking in terms of hockey scores or baseball, in which that WOULD be a huge lead!). Both sets of our parents called - one to ask jokingly if we were watching any football, and the other to say her ulcer can't take that kind of nail-biting tv viewing. And my Dad just had to add his dig that he was only 3 points off from correctly predicting the final score and winner of the game. Bah! Lastly, another Pat's fan uncle called to say that our Colts should not have done so much premature celebrating around the field before the game was actually over.

They are Ruthless! And heartless! But I hold no hard feelings.

I guess we'll just have to see you in the playoffs, cheaters...

3 comments:

Unknown said...

That was a lot of money waisted paying off the officials. The CD of the crowd noise was a creative touch though.

We still Love ya though.

Paul Brewer said...

Stop crying in your beer already, they lost, live with it....

MYOB said...

Spread the hate....Trust me, you'll feel better afterwards.

http://ihatethepatriots.blogspot.com/