New York Giants Beat Packers!!!

This was the first football season I've watched more than like three games.

It started with Thanksgiving watching the game with my brother and brother-in-law. I realized that all the work that my friend Will put in on teaching me the game the past two seasons worked off.
I finally got it.

Now, you might be saying, "Dude, football's an easy game to follow."

Um, not really.

But, after years of questioning, it made sense.

I chose the Giants to root for this year, because I wanted a New York team to win. After the Mets season, I needed a New York underdog to make it.

What a team to pick. Against all odds, the Giants won tonight.

I watched the game with my pals Ben and Arthur in a bar that Maggie, Ben's girl friend and my pal, also happened to work at. It was nice to be invited out as one of the guys. I think my favorite part was being able to hold my own in sports conversation with other guys at the bar though.

About fifteen years ago my sister told me, "Sue, ya need to have a basic understanding of sports to hang out with, and go out with men."

I didn't believe her. Our brother, Matt, didn't like sports. He liked Star Trek, Star Wars, and classic rock. All of these things were much more fun to me than watching sports. I learned to love these alternate male interests, and many others during my anti-sport phase- such as:
-Magic the Gathering
-Ninjas
-Chess
-Dungeons and Dragons
-Profession Wrestling (though strenuous, not a real sport)

I fought the urge to follow sports, except of course for the Mets. Until, Will, my best friend from college, took me aside one boring Sunday and helped me understand football.

So, last night I sat at the end of the bar calling flags and cheering "Go Blue!" in a crowd of rowdy New Yorkers, with some poor Packers fans peppering the population. That game was so close, everyone was on the edge of their seats, and then during the magical overtime moments - New York miraculously pulled through.

And that's when the music came on, Frank Sinatra's voice boomed loudly, "It's up to YOU New York, Neeeeew Yoooork!!!" and grown men hugged each other, women slapped five and jumped around hugging strangers. It was nice to be in NYC during a big home team win. As a Met fan, I don't get a ton of those times, so I plan on savoring that memory for a long time.

After that experience, we mixed it up a bit. Maggie, Ben, and I went down to a piano bar in the village to a friend's birthday party. There people were joyous as well, though they had no idea the Giants even won. They were singing show tunes around a piano while a portly waitress busted out ditties such as "Mama Says". It was a very different scene. But that's what makes New York nights so awesome.
You can go from Giant testosterone to a gay version of Billy Joel's piano man.