06 February 2012

They Might Be Giants (Fans)



We are Giants fans, and we are happy!

We always host a Super Bowl party. This year I said I wasn't going to, because we had another party planned for Saturday night. But the Giants made it to the big game, so we had to participate in some shindiggery!

As any sports fan knows, the outcome of any game is determined by the collective positive energy bandied about the country by the faithful few. Therefore, we have a few tried and true customs that we employed throughout the play-off season.

1. Team apparel is necessary. Also, if you previously wore a jersey and the Giants won, you must wear that jersey again and again until the Giants lose. The Captain wore his NFC Champions t-shirt from four years ago, even though he had a new one. He figured if he needed to change the karma of the game, he could change his shirt at halftime. I wore a Knicks t-shirt and black cardigan because it is the only New York-affiliated team apparel I own, and I wasn't about to change my lucky outfit at this stage in the game.

2. Change is bad. At the beginning of the game, the younger boys were in the other room playing a Pokemon game. After halftime, my nephew came in to watch. We soon banished him, because his presence was the obvious reason the Giants were losing. Likewise, when the fourth quarter rolled around, we made my M.I.L come back into the room, and shifted everyone back to their original seats.

"Mom," said the Captain, " I don't care if you have to pee, you're going to sit right there until the end of the game! We'll get you some Depends! Now, Three get back on the floor!"

We didn't let Four and Five come in until the celebration. We're not fooling around, people.

3. Knowing how to cross your toes is key. At the beginning of every drive, the Captain grabbed my hand, and I crossed my toes and available fingers. My brother-in-law cannot do this, which is why I think he lacks my faithful conviction.

4. Friends are allowed to watch the game, but only if they are rooting for the Giants or against the opposing team. Two's friends Charlie and Connor are Jets fans. Charlie was required to attend, because he'd been at our house for the play-offs. Connor got an invite because everyone knows that a true Jets fan hates the Patriots. At one point I implored them to "focus your anti-Brady venom!" Listen, I'm not perfect. We do not ever wish for a player to be injured. Just to get sacked.

5. Hot wings must be present. On the day of the first play-off game, Three insisted we stop on the way home from CCD and buy hot wings. Two and I bitched about how Three was going to make us late for kick-off, but we got the wings. The guys ate them, pausing only to exhale deeply in an attempt to cool their mouths, or chew a Tums tablet. The Giants won. We've had hot wings ever since, as a token offering to the football gods.

My father was the director of security for Giants Stadium when it was built. He managed to secure two season tickets at that time. I haven't attended many games over the years, although the Captain and my brother-in-law go to the home opener every year. The old stadium was torn down last year, and a part of my father went with it. We can no longer physically touch the place where my he sat to watch his team, but a part of him lives on when we sit and scream, fingers and toes crossed, superstitious and silly, together.





22 comments:

  1. I love (and wholly support) your magical thinking. It clearly works. The Cardinals won the World Series, and your Giants won the Super Bowl!

    (It would take government-grade uranium to give magical thinking enough oomph to help my Redskins. Sigh.)

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    1. We'll have to share the uranium. We're also Knicks fans. But hey, Go Rangers!

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  2. Had a huge writing day, but made it to the last quarter. It really was an exciting game. Glad you all had a super SuperBowl. : )

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    1. Congratulations on the writing! I've noticed that it also requires some magical thinking :)

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  3. Anonymous6.2.12

    Hi Megan, Patchwork Betty here, blogger is not letting wordpress users log in using their user name from wordpress, just thought I'd let you know it was me :)

    WOOT! I think it was Manningham's sparkly red shoes! Seriously though, that was a spectacular catch and Eli just seemed so calm and cool...BIG Giant fans here too.

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    1. Hi Patchwork Betty! Why can't the blogging world just get along? Why, blogger, why?

      I think it was Manningham's huge hands, but sparkly shoes cannot be ignored. Doesn't that Eli make you proud? He's such a nice boy.

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  4. Okay #2 cracked me up. Poor Captain's mom!

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    1. We wouldn't let her get up to eat or drink, either. Listen, we were winning in the first half when she sat in her rocker, and then things got worse when she left. It's a simple equation.

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  5. I love this post. We aren't big football fans around here, but dh is a Carolina alum so we are hugely into Tar Heel basketball. I can understand the ardent loyalty. We are not quite so strict, though! Now I know why the Giants won last night.

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    1. We made a few mistakes in our enthusiasm. Normally, the Captain's father does not watch the games. They make him too anxious, so he retreats to his apartment until we tell him if they won or lost. But he came upstairs to watch the first half, because, well it was the Super Bowl. He left at halftime, and M.I.L. returned, thus restoring balance.

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  6. Anonymous7.2.12

    LOL... your house sounds life fun. This was my first year to watch an entire super bowl. I didn't understand why people were hollering about the safety at the beginning, and didn't understand why the guy fell so slowly across the touchdown line (no clue what that line is called) at the end... but it was to watch, especially the commercials. :)

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    1. The Captain may correct me, but:

      If the quarterback is in the opposing team's end zone (like Brady was) and he gets tackled there, holding the ball, the opposing team gets two points. It's kind of like he accidentally scored in the wrong end zone (ours). So, Brady tried to throw the ball away, to avoid the safety. But you have to actually try to throw the ball to a receiver on the field, not just away to get rid of it. There was no receiver where Brady threw it, so they called it "intentional grounding," which is the NFL version of "hot potato," when you just chuck it away. That's not allowed, so the Giants got two points.

      At the end of the game, there's a bit of strategy involved. The Giants were trying to run the clock down, so the Patriots wouldn't have enough time to march down the field and score. So the team was trying to get very close to the end zone, without scoring, because when you score a touchdown, the other team automatically gets the ball. Ahmad Bradshaw was supposed to stop at the one yard line, so the Giants could take a time out, and then kick a field goal. But I imagine it's hard to stop 215 pounds on a dime, and the guy just fell into the end zone.

      Thus ends our football lecture for today. Now you're ready for next season!

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  7. "we'll get you depends" LOL i love this story. i don't follow football but i'm a people.com junkie who dislikes brady for cheating on gorgeous and talented bridget moynahan with a victorias secret model. so i'm glad he lost. i have my reasons. just like a couple years ago i rooted against the steelers b/c pittsburgh defaced a calder mobile by painting it steelers colors.

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    1. Bridget Moynahan is on "Blue Bloods." We had a hearty laugh last week when the family was watching football, all in their Jets jerseys!

      Art terrorists, AND a quarterback that sexually assaults women! Your animosity is well-placed.

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  8. Go Big Blue!! Yes, happiness reigned at our house as well. Much screaming and hollering and carrying on. Jerseys were proudly worn to school on Monday. And my husband watched commentary and re-enactments from 2:30 until 9:00 yesterday. I gotta say, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet right now.

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    1. I hear you. It was great fun, but exhausting.

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  9. *ahem* Congratulations.

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    1. You are kind and gracious in defeat. I want you to know I hesitated before posting, because of my love and respect for you.

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    2. Anonymous7.2.12

      Well done, Delia! I am ashamed to admit that I would have struggled to make a similar post if I was in your shoes. You are, indeed, the better woman.

      --Janet

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    3. Nah. No need to pull anything for me. I'm a good sport. I was just happy they made it this far. We've had so much of our defense out with injuries this year (it destroyed our secondary), that I was having doubts for the first half of the season whether we'd even make the playoffs. That we made it this far was a miracle. Then, last game of the playoffs, Gronkowski went down on his ankle and my stomach sank. I think they were relying on his height to get past the Giants' screening, especially Pierre-Paul. When we lost Gronk, it put the burden on Welker and Hernandez, and Hernandez wasn't hitting it. But even with all that, it was a great game, a nailbiter to the very end. Eh. We'll get 'em next year. ;)

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  10. Anonymous7.2.12

    What a good looking crowd! Congratulations! And thanks for sharing the picture. The Captain was the last person I thought of before kick-off and the only person that I texted when they won.

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    1. Anonymous7.2.12

      Oops! Forgot to sign that one. (Janet)

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