I grew up in the Sixties and played PeeWee football so I was always a football fan. I remember watching the Giants on TV on Sundays because that was the game that was broadcast to the Boston market. I also followed the Packers because they were THE team of that era and there seemed to be a plethora of Packers related material that was available to read. (Yes we had to read back then, no internet,no cable,no ESPN.)
The beginning of my Patriots love happened in 1969. My parents had just divorced and I moved from Hanson, MA to Whitman,MA. I became best friends with a kid whose Dad had Pats season tickets. So he invited me to a pre-season game, it was 1969.
But the early game I remember was another pre-season game in 1970. I went to the Pats vs the Redskins at BC's Alumni Stadium. That was the game when the stands went up in flames. The game was stopped briefly and the fans were allowed on the field. I remember walking up to Sonny Jurgensen and Charley Taylor (we were on the Redskins side). I was in awe of real life professional football players!
That was it for me. I was hooked and became a life long Patriots fan. Later that same year I went to my first regular season game at Harvard Stadium. Pats vs the Vikes. Pats had recently acquired Joe Kapp from the Vikings. And I remember thinking how cool it was that the Pats had a QB who had just played in the Super Bowl! But, it didn't take long to realize why he was traded. Kapp was terrible for the Pats. The Pats Vikes game was in Dec and it had snowed the night before. Harvard Stadium had not been shoveled out around the seating areas. And of course, the Pats got killed by the Vikings. But the most entertaining part was throwing snow balls at the players. It was hysterical (at least to me).
And I stayed a fan through all the ridiculous years of ineptitude. The High School stadium. The Head Coaching carousel. The one and two win seasons. The wasted draft picks. The scandals. All of it didn't matter because I had sold my soul to Patriots football a long time ago. And of course we all know how the story ended. With a story book ending of course! The amazing Super Bowl win against the mighty Rams! Only the birth of my two children beat the exhilaration of that incredible victory.
And well, things are pretty good in Patriot Nation these days. We spend more time debating whether our QB or the guy from Indy is the best in the league. Whether the Pats are winning by big enough margins. Which team is better! Who will they pick with their 2 first round picks next year?
But for an old timer like me you never forget what it once was and hopefully will never be again. It's incredible that this team has now become a model for how to run a franchise. It used to be the worst franchise in the league.
And last month I took my two daughters to their first Patriots game (vs. the Jets). Yes it rained. Yes it was cold. And yes the Pats lost. But my girls had a great time and it only cemented for them their love of New Englands team. I think they also liked that guy named Brady!! (But I might be wrong on that one!)
So the circle of life continues. My girls are now hooked and will hopefully only know the joy that has become this Patriots franchise. Heck, they only had to live a few years to even see the Sox win it all!
But, I love the Pats.I will always root for them. I treat every win like a SB win! And I agonize over every loss. I don't know any other way to root for them.
And I love every minute of it!
