ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, September 25, 2005 -- As I file my report from a hotel room across the Potomac from our nation's capital of Washington, D.C., I'm looking out the window at the graceful Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. This brings back memories of my many years in this city. As a New York City native, my first allegiance was with the football Giants, but it was here in DC that I fell in love with the Redskins and made them my team for life. It didn't matter that I became a Redskins fan after Gibbs won his last Super Bowl and retired, and the team went into a funk that still lasts to this day (notwithstanding last week's Santana Moss touchdowns). This city truly screamed for its team in a way I could never see or feel in New York, and with the many friends I made here, I simply got caught up in Redskin mania. Jack Kent Cooke was an exasperating but endearing guy -- I couldn't stomach the sight of him, but he brought a genuine flavor to a city that was jaded by power and politics. Tony Kornheiser was a jerk and an ass when I tried to say hi to him in person on L Street (an observation shared by some friends who knew him), but it didn't keep me from reading his columns in the Washington Post about the Lewinsky Bandwagon, the Gus Bus, and, of course, My Man Deion Sanders.
I moved back to NYC for various reasons over a year ago, so it's been really tough for me to follow my adopted NFL team. Last Monday, I told my girlfriend (who doesn't keep a TV at her home) that I'd watch the Redskins vs Dallas game at a bar near her place in Manhattan. She wasn't thrilled, so she let me do my thing while she went off to dinner in Greenwich Village with a gay friend of hers, presumably to hear his "gay man's guide to sex for straight women" perspective (hey I can't complain as long as Hershey isn't involved). When she came back, she stopped at my bar with 4 minutes in the game and Dallas leading 13-7. Glimpsing the score, she said with a twinkle in her eye, "Looks like game's over. Let's go."
"What? Look at the score! It's 13-7 with 4 minutes left!"
She gave me her lovely dog-eyed look. Normally I'm a sucker for that look, but not when Dallas is involved. I was unmoved, so she pouted while I watched glory unfold before my very eyes as Santana Moss streaked down the field, beat Roy Williams at his own game, and hauled in the ball for a 70-yard sprint into a permanent place in Redskins lore.
I screamed and jumped up and down in the bar, startling two young and drunk Manhattanite couples who were making out next to me (gotta love NY at 12:30 am on a Monday night). My girlfriend was unimpressed. All she wanted to do was go back home and go to sleep. I don't care. WE BEAT DALLAS!!
WETBOAT'S BOLDEST-EVER PREDICTION: Redskins stay undefeated this weekend. I'm down for a big bet with anyone. Send me an email. ;)
------------------
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.
No comments:
Post a Comment