Last
night, like most Americans, my family and I huddled downstairs in front of our
big screen, with chicken wings in hand to watch the Super bowl.
We are
die-hard Steeler fans in this house, so last night meant picking a new team to
root for.
It wasn’t
all that hard to decide.
After the
much talked about secret defensive signal filming of other teams done by the
Patriots, and my personal lack of respect for Tom Brady, and their sneaky coach,
we all decided we were definitely for the underdog.
We watched
little bits of the marathon pre-game, (that started at around noon for the five
o clock game), and it was clear who the experts were favoring.
Over and
over again, the pro-football pundits gave the Giants no chance in Arizona to
win this game. And they had solid, historic reasons for doing so. It just didn’t seem possible to up-end
a team that had not lost once all season.
So, when
kickoff time finally arrived, we were quite prepared for defeat, but still
passionately praying for the little guys. And as the game progressed, play by
play; and we saw them slowly and consistently dismantle the Patriots, it became
more than being behind New York. We were really cheering for the fact that David was
turning into the Giant right before our very eyes.
And they were doing it all with no illegal information about the other team, a coach that had to beg to
keep his job last year, and a quarterback that has been the butt of jokes and
under his big brother, Peyton Manning's shadow all his life.
It was so
much more than a football game.
It was the stuff of life.
So, today,
as all the boys and I re-hashed last night’s events over our bowls of Grape
Nuts, we talked less about the amazing receptions and kicked-up defensive line,
and more about the true life lessons we learned from the mighty Giants.
1.
Cheaters
never really win.
2.
Never,
ever, under any circumstances give up.
Even when your whole world’s against you.
3.
Be a
good loser. Pouting and running
off the field after a loss is just plain pathetic. (lovely coach)
4.
Always
cheer loudest for your little brother.
5.
The
Barefoot Contessa’s chicken wings rock the party.