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Hi there.
It’s been about 15 years since we last talked in this space, but do you have a few minutes for us to catch up?
Perhaps you remember me from my weekly column for this website from 2002-2011. Perhaps we have never crossed paths before. Either way, for the first time in a decade and a half, I’m back. I had an idea for a column, so here goes.
Over the time that I wrote the column for this website, I grew as a writer and a dad to newborn children. I met a lot of wonderful people, developed a creative outlet that I never knew I had, and enjoyed a few incredible life experiences, such as regularly appearing on live television and radio to talk about the Patriots.
Then one day in 2011, I realized that I had no more writing bullets in the proverbial writing chamber.
I never really believed in writer’s block, but there it was, staring me right in the face. To be fair, how many columns can one write about the bountiful run that the Patriots were on during that time? There’s only so many times that you can write that Tom Brady wasn’t perfect in a playoff game, but he made the play or two that eventually mattered, or that Troy Brown was a human Swiss Army knife.
I moved on with my life and, perhaps like you over the last 15 years, life for me went up, down, and sideways. I still enjoyed watching the Patriots, but suddenly, real-world matters put a proper perspective on the fact that the Patriots winning another playoff game or even the Super Bowl was by no means a life or death matter.
Speaking of life or death matters, that’s where the idea for this column came from. I think it’s a journey and a story worth sharing, and maybe you can relate to it.
All in all, I came through the last 15 years just fine. I’m in pretty good health, and the people that I love are all doing well. I’m proud to say that my two kids were just entering elementary school when I stopped writing, and have since blossomed into fine young adults. My mom, brother, and dad are all doing fine, and I’m grateful for that. And then there is the matter of stumbling into a relationship a few years ago and then marrying my beautiful wife last August.
The best things in life happen when you least expect them.
Whether it’s saying to yourself a few years ago, “There’s no way she’s single and why in the world would she be interested in me?” or this unexpectedly beautiful, enjoyable Patriots season.
Which brings me back to how the unexpected joy of this Patriots season has provided yet another bookmark in the story of the relationship between myself and my dad.
If you were a regular reader of my column back in the day, you read numerous references about how, as a little boy living within walking distance to the stadium, I would go to the Patriots games with him when the team was bad.
Really bad.
Then, you read how the Patriots were always a centerpiece in our relationship as I transitioned from a teenager to a young adult and then to a new dad.
Fast forward 15 years, and I now have a lot more gray hair, and life has a different perspective. But the Patriots were still always there in the background between the two of us.
Then we nearly lost him a year ago December. As I stared down this unthinkable probability at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, I often circled back to how awful it would be if he left us and not to be able to talk about the Patriots as we have since time and eternity.
Perhaps you’ve been there. In that moment, I asked the Good Lord for his grace and for, among other things, just one more Patriots post-game phone call if He could spare it. Just one, and I would be at peace. I wasn’t ready to move on, and thanks to the talented providers at that hospital, neither was he.
As 2025 moved along, he gained strength and clarity. He had one of the largest smiles that I had seen in a while back in August when the charter members of the tailgate crew (Mark, Glenn, Bill, Joe, and myself) all Facetimed him after a beautiful reunion dinner at Limoncello’s in the North End. The consensus on the Facetime call among all of us was that an 8-9 or 9-8 season would be just fine.
Remember what I said earlier about the best surprises happen in life when you least expect them? Well, this 2025 edition of the local professional FC has certainly fit the bill.
The season started off as expected with the typical post-game phone calls that we had over the last few years, lamenting the current state of affairs and refrains of “Wait until next year. They’re developing, Kevin.”
Then they won a Sunday night game in Buffalo and just kept on winning. It started to look less like a fluke and more like a foundation for a new beginning. Drake Maye demonstrated a breathless touch of the ball reminiscent of You Know Who, the free agents and drafted rookies all held their own and the wins against a crème puff schedule started to pile up.
And so did the phone calls between my place in Maine and the folks’ place in New Hampshire.
“Dad, this team is going to the playoffs.”
“They definitely have their coach/quarterback combo.”
“Another win. Can you believe it?”
“A playoff win. This is crazy. Who would have imagined?”
A few days ago, I said to my wife, “You know if they win on Sunday, I think I’m going to drive to New Hampshire to watch the AFC Championship game with my folks.”
A six-hour round-trip commute is nothing when you’re grateful that your humble request from a year ago last December came through big time.
The phone call after the game on Sunday was short and to the point.
After dispensing with formalities, I said, “The game on Sunday starts at 3. I’ll be there around 2:30. I love you both. Bye.”
Time moves on. Time stands still. Just like it will this coming Sunday.
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Kevin is a New England native and was a regular contributor to PatsFans.com from 2002-2011. He was also a regular guest on local and regional radio and television outlets, with his work featured in a number of Maine weekly newspapers. He also received an honorable mention in the 2004 edition of 'Best American Sports Writing' for a column that first appeared here on PatsFans.com. He can be reached at Email. |
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