Dear J-
Down here in San Diego there’s a palpable electricity in the air as the Chargers host the Colts in the opening round of the NFL playoffs. Sure, there’s a hint of opportunism, as after November most of us had pretty much left the team for dead, just as they’d deflated our hopes this season with one close loss after another. Plus the conventional wisdom was that some team with a Manning at the helm would roll their way forward through the playoffs, but that’s the beauty of a playoff system — win or go home, no excuses, no second-guessing, just demonstrating which team is better on the field.
So it goes; the Chargers are well-regarded in this city — to the point where we’d regret seeing them go, but not, perhaps as much as Nick Canepa might suggest, to the point where all sense of civic identity would be lost, despair would reign, and everyone would commit ritual suicide if they left. At this point they’re like the brother that always threatens to move out when they don’t get their way, and that no one takes seriously any more.
Tonight I’m thinking about family, as a result, watching the Bolts and Colts swapping the lead like a hot potato. Whereas your fan can swap allegiances as needed, as my parents are fond of saying, I’ve only got one brother in the world, often after some petty squabble had divided us (window down or up, who gets the last whatever, or any of the innumerable opportunities for sharing that may go awry). It’s one of those truths that make you groan at the time with the blatant obviousness of it, but as I get older, I appreciate it more. We fumble through the world knowing little else but that we’ve always got a place to turn to in all cases, on all occasions. Life is messy, but knowing you’ve got that support, no judgement, no reservations, no boundaries, no distance, no reasons — there’s nothing I’d trade for that.
Mike
P.S. Chargers 23, Colts 17 (OT).
Tags: brother, chargers, colts, family, hero, overtime, playoffs, san diego, support
Dear J- 
4 January 2009 at 5:21 pm |
Wow. Rivers > Manning!
It would be nice to see a Chargers/Eagles Super Bowl, I think; two teams who had been written off by the football establishment, the media and even their own fans, battling for the championship. It’s hard for me to root for a team from Philly – too many memories of knucklehead Flyer fans combined with a certainty that many Flyer fans = Eagle fans (the same Eagle fans whose behaviour necessitated the inclusion of a jail in Veterans Stadium) makes me unwilling to wish Philly success in any sport. I do have a soft spot for Donovan McNabb, though, a guy who’s been given a bit of a rough ride by a lot of folk and who’s had his abilities questioned more than once, I would suggest, simply because of the colour of his skin.
Anyway, I can’t root for a team from New York. Ever. So my choices are growing limited…
Go Bolts Go!
4 January 2009 at 7:56 pm |
Manning’s had the reputation — partly obscured by the MVP hardware and the 2007 SB ring — along with Coach Dungy, of not being able to win when it counts; call it the Schottenheimer effect, where his Cleveland and Kansas City teams would post spectacular records in the regular season and fall flat in the playoffs. Despite being gifted at least six points (Sproles fumble into the endzone, and Rivers interception in the endzone on successive possessions), the Colts couldn’t find a way to win — with those two potential field goals (or TDs), there wouldn’t have been a reason for an overtime, or for the game-tying last-minute field goal, so discussions on how the Bolts were gifted the game by the referees are ludicrous, especially after the first Denver game this year (search Hochuli Chargers Broncos).
I would assert that Chargers > Colts, at least last night, even though Rivers talks too much to be one of my favorites.