My last Patriots Post...

I hope this is my last Pats post until the NFL draft. Seriously. I have to stop wallowing in self-pity over the loss. I need to move on and get out of this shocked and depressed state. Bostonians all look sad, people are walking around dazed heads down - and the weather has been reflecting our collective mood. I feel like I've gone through a breakup. Like I wake up and something is missing, I've lost something...

If we had lost to the Packers I would have been upset, but not quite as badly. I really like Favre - he's great, but we lost to Eli? The guy that always has his mouth open looking stupid and confused? THAT GUY beat us? Stick a fork in my eye and be done with it.

But part of being a fan is dealing with the heartbreak. Boston has had such a good streak this decade that we forgot what it was like to lose. Young people don't know the heartache we've gone though. And really I don't even understand the heartache my parents and grandparents went though. My grandmother hasn't missed a Red Sox game in probably 8 decades. That's got to hurt.

But in '05 we lost to Plummer and the Broncos. And seriously that guy looked homeless and as if he played for the hell of it. He looked like some dude you smoked pot with in college - he just wasn't worthy of that win - wicked happy when the Steelers beat them. Where is he now anyway, oh he retired... And then we lost last year in '06 to Indy. That totally sucked, but at least Peyton is a really great QB. I'm sure if I was born and raised in Indy I'd be rooting for him. But I wasn't. I was born and raised in Boston! And this is just about football, never mind the heartbreak with the Sox for 86 years...

I watched the 93 draft when we got Bledsoe and I thought this is it. We are so going to win the Superbowl now! We had Parcells, Bledsoe surely it was in the cards for us? And we all know how that turned out... Then the Pete Carroll years? I don't even want to think about those. Then Belichick came along, and some unknown 6th round draft pick Brady steps up - and we were on top of the world. Untouchable. I think we all knew we wouldn't be on top forever, but we really hoped this year wouldn't be the one that it happened. It was. sigh.....

I think for us here in Boston sports are a part of us. Most people living here are just fans whether they wanted to be or not. Like baseball - I'm not really a fan (not like football). But I hate the Yankees and love the Sox - it was just built into me. Plus I don't think other areas of the country have the fans like we do. The only other two cities with fans like us that come to mind are: Chicago and NYC. But those cities have more than one team, so the people are split. It's not like the entire city comes together to root for one team like we do. They are too busy arguing which one of their local teams are better to join forces. But in Boston we have one team for each sport. It's part of the city's history here. It's who we are. I've gone to other cities and thought maybe I'll check out a baseball game but it's probably sold out... nope tons of tickets available. That NEVER happens here. People just don't understand what it's like unless they have lived here and let Boston into your soul.