There is something about being an addition to a family with a long connection to their home town sports team. I have never really had a deep attachment to a team. I grew up in Brea and while Brea is a fine city, the closest thing we have to a sports team are the Angels baseball team – and technically they belong to Anaheim (well Los Angeles by way of Anaheim, but anyway…) and before that I lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and we had the Brewers, but we moved when I was seven so I was still too young to really grow an attachment to the team. My Mom’s family is from Chicago so I grew up rooting for the Cubs and the Bears – until during a Packers game my dad said we were supposed to root for the Packers so I was suddenly a Green Bay fan.
Being a theater kid I never really followed sports period. I knew rules and teams by osmosis, but only knew when to cheer by the reactions of those around me. I was the mascot in high school so I cheered for the Wildcats as a matter of assignment and duty. When I was married my wife loved the Lakers and so we watched the Laker games and I knew that their winning was better than their losing. Through all these times, though, I never really felt a personal connection to any of the teams. It just didn’t connect with me.
There was a bit of a turn while living with Jeff and Corey in Casa de Divorce. Corey, being from Madison, Wisconsin rekindled my love of the Green Bay Packers and Jeff introduced me to the fact that Indiana has a team, The Colts. See I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana so by birth I should love The Colts, right? Still, when all was said and done, my loyalties stuck with Green Bay and The Bears – I know the irony of that statement. If you, as a reader, don’t understand the irony of that statement I encourage you to go to www.7ktheband.com to email Corey and ask him. The reply will be short, plain and simple.
And then I started dating Rene…
Rene’s family is from New Orleans. They are very “New Orleans” and I have grown a GREAT appreciation for the culture of the city and have mourned the loss that came along with Katrina. By the way, the tragedy of Katrina, although no longer on the news, is still far from being over and so those of you who are civic minded or inclined to donate please donate time or money to aid the city. It still needs it! From Rene’s family I learned about The Saints. I’ve heard the amazing underdog story of the team. I’ve heard of the failed Super Bowl attempt when it looked like they were going to get in and were only met with failure and I watched, usually with Rene’s dad, as the Saints clobbered the hell out of this season and became the NFC Champions! So today was a pretty big day for everyone. Rene’s mom is back in New Orleans and, with the addition of it being Mardi Gras time, the city was hoppin’ ready for the game.
The game was stellar, as I’m sure most of you saw. The early Colts lead had the family on the edge of their seats, the slippery field had Rene’s dad ready to strangle people through the television, and the interception in the fourth quarter that lead to the final Saints touch down of the night had us as loud in the living room as the Saints fans were in the stands at the game! When I first learned the “who dat?!” chant I sounded like a yankee with my, “Who is that who suggests that they may be able to defeat the Saints?” but with a little practice, and a healthy dose of gumbo, I can now shout out a proud, “who dat say dey gonna’ beat dem Saints?!” with the best of them. It was a good day to be a sports fan, even if you’re a sports fan who isn’t all that fond of sports. And even better when you finally feel a connection to a team, especially if that team wins.
See you tomorrow!
Awww…. good post honey! I’m glad you feel like an extension of the family and that you can truly appreciate the Saints win! 🙂
“Who dat say dey love dem Saints? Dat be Mista Curtis!”