Dear New York Giants,
I am a New England Patriots fan, a big Patriots fan. There is history between me and the Patriots, we go way back. When I was 3 years old the Patriots played the Chicago Bears in the 85-86 Super Bowl and my father decided to throw a party where he hung my teddy bears from nooses (looking back this explains a lot of issues). This was the start of a raging sport fans journey through the ups and downs of following your favorite teams religiously.
I can’t tell you how amazing I felt after the first Super Bowl win, and then the second and then the third. It really was all very surreal when it happened. I was angry after the play off loss to Denver in the 2006 play-offs, and confused after the Colts beat them in a miraculous comeback/collapse. And after that the Colts game Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick went crazy. That game made them so uncomfortable and angry that they set out for vengeance, signing the biggest free agents on the market in Adalius Thomas and a block buster trade for Randy Moss. This was just the set up to the most prolific 18 games in a row of all time, going 18-0 and crushing teams in their wake.
This all set up for the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl and most Patriots fans thought it was a given that they would win, we barely seemed worried about it. The game seemed like a formality that was an inconvenience to us ready for the Super Bowl party. The radio air waves were filled with callers about what they were going to do for the parade, how they would celebrate, what the Championship DVD should have on it, and how many children they could justify naming Brady to their wives.
I cared so much about this game that I could not think about anything else for those 2 weeks in between the ACF Championship game and the Super Bowl. I walked around with a WalkMan just to use the transistor radio and listen to the Boston sports channel. I read every article, listened to every podcast and talked Patriots football 24 hours a day. This was going to be epic, the New England Patriots were going for an undefeated article, 19-0, never been done before.
We all know what happened on February 4th, 2008, the Giants front four played out of their minds, Brady couldn’t get out of his own way, and Moss went into classic Moss Mode (when the going gets tough Moss gets going nowhere). The Patriots lost 17-14 one of the most exciting and miserable games I have ever watched.
It took years to finally figure out that day, I have never in my life been that disappointed by sports, I had no idea what was going on in my head. It took me till the Patriots lost to the Jets this year on January 10th for me to really appreciate the Super Bowl loss. So then I realized what happened, that Super Bowl loss was my Buckner Moment. Nothing was ever going to hurt that bad. I hated how much I cared then but nevertheless I did, it hurt so badly. This was the moment that was going to define my career as a fan for the rest of my life. And when the Patriots lost in the playoffs to the Jets I was upset, that it, not devastated, just upset. I didn’t want to not talk for weeks, I didn’t want to take a drive and listen to The Cure just to hear someone more miserable than I am, and I didn’t feel like the ball just rolled through my legs to dash the dreams of millions in the New England and have my name become synonymous with failure.
And for that I would like to thank you, yes you the New York Giants, for giving me the worst sports experience I could ever have in my life. I know this sounds sarcastic but its not, there is no way to top what happened that day, no team I ever follow will be undefeated with a chance at sports immortality, and lose a game they should have won by being out coached, out played and just plain wanting it more. And therefore I will never be put in a situation where I will have cared that much, it will just never happen.
I love sports and I love my teams, but I don’t feel like it is life or death anymore, it doesn’t ruin my day, week, or month. I once ended a relationship because the girl told me that “its only a game” and I shouldn’t care so much, I still think she is wrong but I see where she is going, it is just a game but it is something I care deeply about. That said, it shouldn’t rule my life, and the Giants showed me this and for that I thank them.
So in closing I hope the Boston teams win every title from here to the end of time but I now know that will not happen, I accept it, and I will not be crying myself to bed tonight., I will hope but not be reliant on their success I will be strong and never need to use sports as a crutch like I did in my younger years unless the Patriots some how go 18-0 again and have a chance to gain sports immorality, then all bets are off and you will have to talk me off the ledge. Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Timothy D. Morton
A True New England Patriots Fan