Erics Musings

When I was a kid, I had a passing interest in American Football. My friends were into it and I prefered playing it to normal football. This vague interest in playing the game even lasted in to college, where Gamesoc (a rag tag bunch of unfit nerds) played it instead of studying for summer exams.

When it came to supporting a team, the only ones I knew when it came to choosing were the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. There had been a Yogi Bear cartoon from earlier in my childhood where Yogi went to save the bears from the giants.. :) At the time, the Bears were winning everything, so I naturally plumbed for the Giants. I think Phil Simms was the quarterback at the time. My friends supported the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. There was a partwork magazine at the time too that one of my friends collected and which I read occasionally. That said, my heart wasn't really in it. I'm not good at supporting teams, I'm just too aware of the disconnect. I am about as athletic as an arthrithic sloth and as far from being a 'Jock' as you can get.

In recent years I've been reading George RR Martins blog, and he is a huge Giants and Jets fan, and his enthusiasm is a little infectious, but even that wasn't enough to draw me back in. The team names had changed (who the hell were the San Diego Chargers 20 years ago?), and it seemed like a step back to teen programing on the Channel 4 of my youth with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Two Tribes music blaring over 20 second snippets from each game of the week, and one major game cut to 40 minutes length.

Perhaps, I'm getting older and I am longing for those moments that remind one of my childhood, but when the Giants made it to the Superbowl, I decided that I would make some small effort to watch a full game, with all the bells and whistles. The Bells and Whistles never materialised, as my doubts grew about whether I would enjoy the game or not, and the basic preparations like organising time off work to stay up until the wee hours of the morning guilt free, slipt my mind. So, by mid afternoon yesterday, all plans to watch the game had been terminated and I was planning an early night.

So, there I was, at home in front of the computer at 11:30pm, when I turned on the TV, mostly out of habit. I was under the impression that none of the terrestrial stations was carrying the game, but lo and behold, there it was on TV3. Deadly, I thought. I'll watch this for a little while, while pottering around on the net, and see if I like it.

I loved it!

I really mean it, I was bursting with excitement every time the Giants sacked Tom Brady, and Eli Manning threw that ball. I winced each time Moroney, Moss or Welker caught the lightning fast throws from Brady. It took me a while to get into it and I really appreciated the long 10 minute drive at the start of the game that allowed me to get me reaquainted with things (I didn't even know which team was which, let alone who was who). Shockingly I began to understand what GRRM had been talking about about loving defensive football.

It was a revelation. It will take me a while to understand why I like it I think.

That's really all I have to say... I will be catching the entire season next year hopefully.... A Giants fan reborn :)