So I took a few days off of writing any kind of meaningful posts. I guess getting back in the swing of school tok me by surprise, and my internal clock isn't used to appointments after a month and a half of doing nothing. Bite me.
I spent the majority of today watching football games. This was championship sunday, with two games deciding which teams will get to battle it out in the heroic Super Bowl. This year the world will get to watch the Patriots take on the Giants in an epic rematch of their previous Super Bowl meeting four years ago, of which the Giants were victorious. I can only hope for the same outcome.
For as long as I can remember, Football has been a part of my life. When I was a boy, my grandparents lived in a large house on hill in Eastern Arkansas. They had two stories, complete with five bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living areas, two kitchens, a garage, a mechanics shop, forty acres of land, and possibilites only limited by ones imagination. It definitely made for some memorable moments with my huge extended family. However, one thing they did not have was good television reception. And with the number of footbal games broadcast during Thanksgiving and Bowl Season, this did not sit well with my football-crazed family. I can vividly recall my uncles and cousins wrapping me in tinfoil and sending me outside with an antenna and shouting out the window their desired positions for me in order to recieve the best reception for the game. My uncle and cousin were football coaches, and another cousin was a referee, who currently is an official with the SEC. I've been to more football games than I can count. In high school, I was much to small to compete, therefore I was relegated to the Water Distribution Department. Football was ingrained in me very early.
Over the years, though, my passion for football has waned. I guess I have suffered from overkill, and the landscape of the fans has certainly changed. Sports were once looked down upon by intellectual types and "artists" as being a meaningless pursuit of bulked up pituitary cases. Now, the world of sports has become very "geek chic". People love to get dressed up for tailgating, and probably are more interested in the commentary than the actual game. And I can't stand the relentless barrage of sports opinions on facebook from people who've barely ever set foot on a football field. It's no longer fun for me anymore. But, to each his own.
I never got a lot of "sportsdom" from my dad. He never was much of the athletic type, and didn't ever have much riding on the outcome of silly games. But, I always enjoyed hearing his stories of all the old greats he watched and loved while growing up. His favorite was the great Baltimore Colt Johnny Unitas. My dad never went out of his way to catch a game on tv, unless it was the Colts playing. And that may be my dad's greatest accomplishment as a father. Because, let's face it, to be a real sports fan you gotta have a favorite team. And, as a dad, it is your responsibility that you pass that love for that team down to your son. So the Colts were his team, and now they're mine as well.
The Colts, since relocated to Indianapolis, had their own star quarterback during my generation. These past 13 years have left me in awe of the skill and prowess of Peyton Manning. I've watched not only become one of the greatest qb's, but also change the way in which the game is played. Every Sunday, me and my dad would sit together and watch Peyton Manning don his Speed Blue and White uniform and masterfuly lead his team on the most glorious drives with the most beautiful and accurate passes. He would shred defenses with his arm and his brain. We didn't always come out victorious, but for three hours on sunday me and my father had common ground.
Some are Cowboys fans
Some are Steeler fans
Some are Patriots fans
But, Our house is Speed Blue, Through and Through
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