So, not a lot of opinion on the superbowl myself this year. Last time the pats went to the bowl, I had a great deal of commentary on it, so if you want my sentiments on any football-related subject, check there. I don't know why I went through all the trouble of finding that link just now, though, as absolutely no one, save my devout, obsessive, imaginary fans will click that.

So a little bit of history-- the second-to-last time the patriots went to the superbowl, my father and I got increasingly close throughout the season, watching the games together and bonding as our team won over and over again. It had been years since we had connected on anything, so it was a tremendous relief to have something in common again. Then the big day came and we were there together...then the Pats got wiped out by the motherfucking Packers. I left the room before the game even ended. We've never had as close since. Maybe if the pats had won that year, my father would have congratulated me on my graduation day. Maybe if they had won, he might have kissed my cheek at my wedding. Maybe if it weren't for Green Bay, things would have been different all these years.


As I end that paragraph he calls my name from downstairs-- we're back in real-time now, people-- and I have a surge of hope that he's calling me down to invite me to watch the game with him. Maybe it's our second chace-- I wasn't ready for it in 2002, as anyone who read the archives-- ha-- would know. I go to the top of the stairs to call down and ask what he wants me for.
"Dinner I guess," He says, agitated. "I don't know, your mother won't tell me, either."
"Yes, Dinner." She says.

Oh.

Still there's a victory to be had here-- Before I started writing this, it didn't even occur to me that the Patriot's AFC Championship was an all-too familiar anxiety for me. For the first time in years, I haven't fretted the season away hoping for some kind of cosmic rematch. I guess, this year, I already won.


Schmutzy stuff aside, I don't know anything about the Pats this year, or Carolina in any given year, so my superbowl predictions will be borrowed, word-for-word, from JohnnyLib, who I supsect is much better at this than I am (or have any interest in being).

"Who will win the Super Bowl? I won my brother's football pool for him, so I think I will take a stab at this. I hope it is a close game, since I hate it when the final game of the year is a total blowout. I hope New England wins, also, although Carolina probably deserves it more. I think it will be a 20-17 New England win, possibly a 28-17 win."

Uh, yeah. That sounds about right. Put my chips on that. Go Pats!

On with it.