Hey bloocrab, i'll try to elaborate my view,
eventhough that quote was taken out of context.
MikeP and i were talking about model franchises of the NFL.
You see, i am a fan of the GAME of football.
And, much to yer chagrin, that means being able to root for one's team from childhood
and still respect worthy opponents; especially within one's division,
as you would see them the most over the course of decades..........................
i never intimated that i was going to seek a seat on the NYG Bus,
merely voicing my respect for them as an original member of the NFL and my opinion of thier representation of the NFC East ~historically, competitively, and i respect thier recent dominance in last year's post season. that is all, and it does not make me any less capable of "driving the Pats Bus from Foxboro" to SB XLIII and beyond.
how did i become a Patriots fan, seemingly overnight?
point well taken and worth explaining.
NO, i did not join them in 2001-2002. They have been my "home team" since i moved to NE in 1999. however, my loyalty to The Skins prevented me from claiming them as my TEAM.
i am more than fanatical about football, having grown up in Oklahoma (GO SOONERS!!) where the pigskin is as revered as the rubber biscuit in these parts. FOOTBALL is one of the essences of Life to me, for better or for worse, and *i have considered a 12-step program in the past*. part of the OKlahoma dynamic is the absence of professional sports teams, which makes ALL teams available in that arena. being centrally located between Dallas, KC, St Louis; equidistant from Chicago to Houston/San Antonio; and the same distance from the East and West Coasts, roughly; do you begin to see my dliemma/options as a young lad? i LOVE Football, to a fault i am sure.
in short, i'm one of THOSE fans of the NFL that has thier home team (be it NFC or AFC) and then has an AFC/NFC (usually the opposite of one's Home conference) interest as well, prolly the home team of one's city if it happens to not be thier team already or there is that choice ~~STRICTLY and very simply out of my LOVE for the game and the sickness that has me choosing winners for each and every contest from week to week, among friends and not for gambling purposes. just for the sake of competition and in the spirit of "this team will win because of A, B, and C over that team". so, i have rooted for the PATS since '99; but did not claimed them, officially, at that time. ahhhh, but i digress.
in 2004, when Joe Gibbs came back into the The Redskins fold, i gave Snyder and Mr Gibbs two years to keep me as thier fan. it was a difficult decision, but with so much of the PATS in my face ~ such as, the combined genius of Coach Bill and misters Pioli and Kraft affronting me, with the witnessing of THAT dominant D, with the development of Brady into who he is today unfolding before my very eyes, and by the supreme nature of what the Patriots Franchise means to the NFL ~at the end of the 2006 season my decision was clear and definitive. and, i would say, not without merit and well before the vaunted off-season aquisitons that lead to the 2007 starting roster. *i have witnesses who are prepared to provide sworn affidavits to the date of my switched allegiance*
lastly, i would argue, that i am not fair-weather nor band wagon jumping! simply stated, i am aware of my surroundings and choosing to support MY home team. as far as whether or not i grew up in NE is concerned, that is a privelege that i was not afforded as a young boy, but a luxury i am more than HAPPY to indulge in ~NOW, and until my last breath. did ya read any of the stuff i slammed the Bolts Page with? when i join, i join wholeheartedly, bro! better late than never, i always say! the more the meerier, eh bloo? and, not without some degree of forceful *encouragement/coercion* from my Local #7 Ironworking bretheren
.
Joined the SOX in '99 after my first Fenway visit to America's Most Beloved Ballpark. ya talk about yer no brainers!! it took me all of about two innings ~the intimacy of Tha Pahhhk, the unparalleled fan base knowledge and Love of the game, and the rabidity of Red Sox Nation has "fit me like a glove" since i first set eyes on The Olde Town Team and inimitable Fenway Park. also, i was still pissed off about the last strike and was living in Pro Sports' barren wasteland, SW FL, prior to moving to New England. BORING!!! although, some very fine inshore fishing to be had down there!
Sooooooooooo, like it or not, youse guys are stuck with me and i don't leave so easily as it seems.
if i may borrow from Elvis Costello, ".........my aim is true."
