Glorious football weekend
Graham says that he doesn't have to watch a football game to know exactly what's going on. He just listens to me. Graham, whose football watching superstitions are just about as bad as mine, was sort of watching the Giants/Dallas game, but he didn't want to jinx anything by actually watching.* I turn the TV off if it looks like things are going too badly, but this was game was too touch and go for me to give up, so I could stand to watch. Graham doesn't watch so as to not jinx anything, but this was a game I cared about immensely, so the TV was on. Anyhow, Graham was in the room, but not facing the TV for the pertinent parts of the Dallas/Giants game.
But he knew exactly what was going on.
For example, he didn't have to see the last play of the Dallas / Giants game. It was fourth and 11 on the Giants 23 with sixteen seconds left to go in the game. Dallas was down by four and had to score.
I, of course, had been a jumping up and down, hooting and hollering, yelling and screaming mess for the last fifteen or so minutes of the game. This particular scenario had the potential of killing me or, in the alternative, granting me an extra ten years of blissful, happy life.
It was a very important down.
We knew it'd be a pass play. We knew that it'd be for the end zone. We knew that TO was going to be double teamed. We knew that the Giants defense had recently realized that they could fuck with Tony Romo and have some sort of effect.
We also knew that sometimes miracles happen in situations like these.
The ball was snapped, the ball was thrown, the ball was caught, and Graham heard the most hysterical, most uncontrolled, most overjoyed laughter he's ever heard from me. I was rolling around the couch on my back. My feet were in the air, possibly kicking. Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't talk. I just pointed at the TV and laughed some more.
It was the most beautiful interception I'd ever seen in my whole life.**
The Giants were jumping up and down. The Cowboys were all looking at the ground. Jerry Jones had a scowl on his face. I later heard that TO cried in a press conference.
It was beautiful.
After I regained composure, I asked Graham if he knew what happened. He said that all he had to do was look at me and he knew EXACTLY what happened. There were, of course, a couple hundred replays that helped fill in the gaps.
Before we started watching, we bought Giants cupcakes, which we have to eat in the next few days, because we are no longer Giants fans next weekend. I think we'll probably upgrade to the Packers giant cookie for the next game. And we're even contemplating Favre jerseys for the Superbowl, should all go as we hope. Brett beating the Patriots in the Superbowl would more than make up for the shit talking that's been going on all season...
Next year, the Texans are going to Cleveland at some point during the season, and our household will become divided in its football loyalties. But for now, we're pretty united in how we want the playoffs to go.
ETA: Two things other things related to this game. I hope there's much focus on TO losing it as there was on Hilary Clinton. He actually sniffled, whereas her voice merely broke. And I find it absolutely ridiculous and sexist to blame Tony Romo's poor performance on Jessica Simpson. Under ordinary circumstances, I'd take joy in her being the most hated woman in Dallas. But this isn't her fault. It's her choking boyfriend's fault. Hahahahahahahaha!
*We weren't allowed to watch the Indianapolis/Chargers game because, "The Chargers will lose if I watch." Graham hates Peyton Manning with a passion, and I think it was the game he cared about the most this weekend (aside, of course, from rooting on Brett Favre in the snow bowl, but we didn't actually start watching that one until the game was well in the Packers' hands). He did watch the whole Patriots/Jacksonville game, and that was the only disappointment of the weekend. The compromise for the Colts/Chargers game was to "watch" on NFL.com. It worked well in the end.
I may have to ban him from any room with a television if the Superbowl turns out to be Packers/Patriots.
**Hyperbole.
But he knew exactly what was going on.
For example, he didn't have to see the last play of the Dallas / Giants game. It was fourth and 11 on the Giants 23 with sixteen seconds left to go in the game. Dallas was down by four and had to score.
I, of course, had been a jumping up and down, hooting and hollering, yelling and screaming mess for the last fifteen or so minutes of the game. This particular scenario had the potential of killing me or, in the alternative, granting me an extra ten years of blissful, happy life.
It was a very important down.
We knew it'd be a pass play. We knew that it'd be for the end zone. We knew that TO was going to be double teamed. We knew that the Giants defense had recently realized that they could fuck with Tony Romo and have some sort of effect.
We also knew that sometimes miracles happen in situations like these.
The ball was snapped, the ball was thrown, the ball was caught, and Graham heard the most hysterical, most uncontrolled, most overjoyed laughter he's ever heard from me. I was rolling around the couch on my back. My feet were in the air, possibly kicking. Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't talk. I just pointed at the TV and laughed some more.
It was the most beautiful interception I'd ever seen in my whole life.**
The Giants were jumping up and down. The Cowboys were all looking at the ground. Jerry Jones had a scowl on his face. I later heard that TO cried in a press conference.
It was beautiful.
After I regained composure, I asked Graham if he knew what happened. He said that all he had to do was look at me and he knew EXACTLY what happened. There were, of course, a couple hundred replays that helped fill in the gaps.
Before we started watching, we bought Giants cupcakes, which we have to eat in the next few days, because we are no longer Giants fans next weekend. I think we'll probably upgrade to the Packers giant cookie for the next game. And we're even contemplating Favre jerseys for the Superbowl, should all go as we hope. Brett beating the Patriots in the Superbowl would more than make up for the shit talking that's been going on all season...
Next year, the Texans are going to Cleveland at some point during the season, and our household will become divided in its football loyalties. But for now, we're pretty united in how we want the playoffs to go.
ETA: Two things other things related to this game. I hope there's much focus on TO losing it as there was on Hilary Clinton. He actually sniffled, whereas her voice merely broke. And I find it absolutely ridiculous and sexist to blame Tony Romo's poor performance on Jessica Simpson. Under ordinary circumstances, I'd take joy in her being the most hated woman in Dallas. But this isn't her fault. It's her choking boyfriend's fault. Hahahahahahahaha!
*We weren't allowed to watch the Indianapolis/Chargers game because, "The Chargers will lose if I watch." Graham hates Peyton Manning with a passion, and I think it was the game he cared about the most this weekend (aside, of course, from rooting on Brett Favre in the snow bowl, but we didn't actually start watching that one until the game was well in the Packers' hands). He did watch the whole Patriots/Jacksonville game, and that was the only disappointment of the weekend. The compromise for the Colts/Chargers game was to "watch" on NFL.com. It worked well in the end.
I may have to ban him from any room with a television if the Superbowl turns out to be Packers/Patriots.
**Hyperbole.