Life in New England Sucks....

I knew better!!� It was a disaster last time, in 2002.� I should have, never, ever, never, ever, never�.watched Sunday�s game with Patriots fans.� My stupid sister-in-law, on the New Hampshire seacoast, invites me and the kids down for the Steelers-Patriots game (�the wife�s out of town).� �I don�t know, Alison, don�t think so, � I say, �I don�t think I can watch this game with you people.�� �What do you mean, you people,� she exclaims.� �When it comes to football,� I say, �you�re you people.�

Last time, in the 2002 season opener, I stormed out of her house at the end of the 3^rd quarter, telling her that her Annual Christmas Party sucked, telling my other sister in law that her Annual Halloween Party sucked, and that I would not be back (�.wondering where the guys were�so was I!!).

Kids wanted to go, so I went.� I cheered wildly when Harrison was carted off�moreso when Light was carted off. When Ben was lying on the turf, they cheered.� I got pissed.� I cheered wildly when the Steelers scored.� They chaired, not so wildly, when the Pats scored.� I got pissed.� My brother-in-law tried to lighten things up, said that this was all in fun, help up his hand to high-five me.� Fuck that!!!� I was having none of it. He reminds me that I�m an upstanding citizen, that I should watch my behavior�.and my language.� �Fuck you, Clay�just watch the game,� I reply. Vinatieri�s kick sailed through, I grabbed my brother-in-law�s Styrofoam cup, hurled it at the screen (�.at least it was soft), told the kids to meet me at the car, and immediately stormed out.

The next day, Alison calls me to check on my well-being�..she tells me I have to do something about my emotionality during Steeler games.� I have.� This is why, I explain, I generally watch Steeler football alone, and sometimes, rarely, with another local Steeler fan.� I tell her that it took every bit of restraint I could muster not to have physically attacked one of them yesterday.� Later some good news breaks�.Harrison might have a career-ending injury!!� I call Alison, sing �Goodbye, Rodney�..�� I hang up.� A few minutes later, my cell phone rings.� It�s the wife on the line from PEI.� �What the hell are you doing, � she says.� �Alison just called me�.said you need psychiatric help.�� �Dave, when is this going to stop?�� �It�s not,�� I say.� �I thought you would get better, you�re only getting worse.�� I tell her that she should expect me to continue to get worse.� It�s an aging thing�the biological clock is ticking.� I�m 50�.how many more seasons will there be for another super bowl.

Earlier that day, being a glutton for punishment, I�m listening to the buffoons on WEEI (850), Boston�s sports station�..4 idiots ganging up on any Steeler fan that calls.� I�m all for bashing Cowher when he deserves it�..and I�ll do so in a minute�.but these bozos first criticize him for not calling a time-out with 37 seconds left, insisting that Belichick would have kicked the FG at that point as it was 3^rd down, and he would have wanted a 4^th down option in the case of a bad snap.� They called the Steeler fan (Al� from Providence�.1^st I thought it might have been our Al, but he�s in Cambridge��like that Al, �our Al�) every type of idiot.� Then they insist that Cowher should not have passed on 1^st down from the 4�he scored too soon.� Afterwards, Belihcick is on the show and tells Smerlas, DeOssie, Ordway, and the biggest dolt of all, Pete (�the Meat) Shephard, that they�re all full of shit.� He explains that you have to score first, not get too cute worrying about how much time an opponent has left, and that he certainly would have ran another play with 37 seconds left.� Smerlas thinks that Larry Foote should have incurred a taunting call for his kick dance.� Belichick wasn�t goin� there. These guys are the ultimate annoyances�.plus they have a weak-ass signal. Mike & the Mad Dog from New York are soooooooooooooooooo much better!!

Now, thoughts from the game:

1. We got our asses whipped.� Christ, there was more red, white & blue in our backfield all day than black & gold.
2. How can we not take advantage of two rookies on the left side of their offensive line.
3. How can not take advantage of 5 healthy DBs�.one of them being our old pal, Charred Scott.� Why didn�t Cowher go 4-wides more???????????� Do the math, Bill�.they didn�t have enough guys to cover this well.
4. Randle El is a stupid fuck�..and Hines Ward is extremely gracious for accepting any responsibility for the ill-advised lateral.� Even if Hines catches the ball, there�s 3 Patriots right in front of him.
5. Defensive goat�..I�d say James Farrior�got beat on two consecutive plays on the final drive, first by Kevin Faulk, but secondly by Patrick Pass, who gets the ball about as often as Krieder, beating him to the corner.
6. FGB�..don�t think Cowher ever intended to get 6 points when he was faced with 3^rd & 7 from the 14 in the 3^rd Quarter.� He probably thought back to two occasions.� Bettis stopped on 4^th & 1 in last� year�s AFCCG, and Bettis coming up a yard short of a TD on 3^rd & long in the �97 playoff.� He ran Bettis on 4^th down�Bettis was stuffed, and Cowher publicly said that was the wrong call�.in a winning effort, though (�I thought the �97 call was the right call with a 7-6 lead).
7. Gotta like Belihcik�s attitude.� Bonnie B. asks him about the injuries at halftime.� First, he won�t appear on camera (fuckin� good for him�.and then he says �can�t make a roster move right now��.also like that he told the Steeler trainer to �get away from my fuckin� player.�)
8. I�m personally please as hell that Rodney Harrison is on the shelf for the year, possibly forever.� I would like the guy if he was one of ours�.but he�s not, and I hate the motherfucker.� Not necessarily wishing for this to be a career-ender, but I�ll shed no tears if it is��.oh, glad that Matt Light broke his fuckin� leg as well.

Fuck�..I hate living up here!!!!