It’s a horrible, no good, very bad day waking up here in New England. In case you live under a rock and didn’t hear, our perfect Patriots were upset by Eli Manning and the Giants in the Super Bowl last night. It was one of the best games I’ve ever watched, until about the last 30 seconds…when Eli was supposed to choke and the Pats were supposed to forever go into the history books at the best team in the history of all sports. So what happened?! Why did the Patriots blow the game? Was it the genius behind the Giant’s game plan? Was it the offensive line’s fault? Tom Brady was hurried, sacked and hit more times in this one game than the entire season (not an actual stat…just my observance)?!? Nope. I know the REAL reason why the Patriots lost last night. AND I knew the second I saw them step onto the field before the game even started.

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I am a HUGE New England Patriots fan. I know, they are the team to hate right now…but I was a fan before Spy Gate, before Tom Brady and before they won 3 Super Bowls. We were given 4 tickets to the Patriots game on Sunday against the Jets. These are quite possibly THE most sought after tickets in all of New England right now. There is a lot of bad blood between the Pats and Jets. Hello Spy Gate. The Pats are going to squash them. We are 13-0 and close to an undefeated season. I SO want to be there. It’s history in the making. Oh, and the free tickets…they also come with free food and drinks in a VIP tent prior to the game. The problem?

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Good News:

I got to watch the ENTIRE Patriots Game without interruption yesterday. And what a great game it was! The Patriots remain undefeated…and even better, the Colts lost…nah, nah. Hey, I never claimed to be the mature one .

Bad News:

You didn’t think I’d be able to sit and watch football for about 3 ½ hours uninterrupted without having to PAY, did you?! Of course not. BamBam was on top of me the whole time…a puddle…he had a fever of 103.

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For the record, Peyton Manning bothers me…more like he gives me the “ick”. This has nothing to do with the fact that he is quarterback for the Colts and they are the Patriot’s Rival Team…really, nothing to do with it. The ick started WAY, WAY before. I have yet to put my finger on exactly why he bothers me so much. Isn’t it weird to have such strong feelings against someone you’ve never met? I’m not usually that judgmental. But I’ve got to say it: I think the guy is dumb as rocks and speaks like he has potatoes in his mouth.

BamBam’s fever seems to be better, right around 100 this morning. He didn’t eat dinner last night, but just demanded 3 packages of oatmeal for breakfast. Needless to say, I’m keeping him home from school today. That should be a joy. Hope I don’t regret the oatmeal.

I have a ton of work to do…the kind that is time sensitive and needs to get done asap. Should be a fun, fun day!

OK, even if you hate football and don’t know who “Belichick” is, you can still appreciate the battle and take a side.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that THE Daddy had 1^st row seats when the Pats destroyed played San Diego. I paid Karma forward and told him to take his father. They had a great time and it was a perfect father/son bonding event. I’m not too bitter anymore that I didn’t get to go.

My gripe is this. As a consolation prize for being such a great wife and not being able to go, THE Daddy bought me this Belichick hooded sweatshirt. This was better than buying me chocolate or flowers. I have coveted that exact sweatshirt for a couple of seasons now, but couldn’t see spending the $74.95 for it. Come on, $74.95…it’s just a hooded sweatshirt.  After all, it has no super powers…like the ability to clean itself. There are many things I’d rather spend $74.95 on…like groceries or filling my gas tank 1.5 times.

SO, he brings the sweatshirt home and I am very excited. I try it on and it is way too big. No big deal, we call and they tell us how to exchange it without having to drive 2 hours to the stadium. I’m bummed that I don’t get to wear it for a bit. BUT then I notice…wait…there are 2 sweatshirts in the bag. He went and bought himself a sweatshirt too! Bastard. If you’re buying someone a consolation prize, rules of etiquette (at least in my world) dictate that you aren’t allowed to buy yourself one as well!

Ever since then, we’ve been battling about who gets to wear the sweatshirt on game day. It’s bad enough that I like to wear the sweatshirt on Sundays…that’s a bit hokey, I know. BUT, I will NOT be one of “those” couples…you know them...the ones who dress alike and sit on the same side of the table even when it's just the 2 of them...eww! Personally, I think I should get first dibs on wearing the shirt. I am the one, after all, who had to sit at home to watch the game while he was IN THE 1^st ROW!

Am I being unreasonable about this? Help me out here.

Oh, the picture is from the Pats Pro shop. Since I stole their picture, I’ll provide the link:

Check out the Pats Pro Shop to purchase a Belichick sweatshirt.

After a long week of back and forth, I finally have solidified which side of the fence I am on. Although there is no excuse for cheating, the New England Patriots handled the situation with the same dignity and class with which we are accustomed. I am extremely proud to be a Patriot’s fan.

THE Daddy was actually at the game last night. He occasionally gets tickets from his vendors at work. I paid the karma bank forward on this one because I told him that he really should take his father this time. That was before I realized that the tickets were on the 1^st row…and well before all of the videogate controversy.

One thing that we didn’t get to experience watching at home: a standing ovation from the fans the second that Belichick hit the field pre-game. I was there for Tedy Bruschi’s come back game after his stroke and he said it was that times 1000. I was teary eyed with goose bumps for Tedy, so I imagine it was quite amazing. THE Daddy said that Bill stared down at the ground and seemed to be having a hard time finding his composure for a minute or so. Despite his tough guy attitude, the guy has heart.

Why were the fans cheering? Because Bill Belichick took responsibility, openly apologized and accepted the ruling. He didn’t whine or fuss. He did his best to focus on his job and his players despite the media’s attempts to turn it into a 3 ring circus. I don’t condone cheating, however, I do believe that he continues to be a great role model. We’re all human and make mistakes. This had the potential of bringing down an organization and poisoning the players against their leadership. Fortunately, it had quite the opposite effect. In fact, according to this Boston Globe article, Kraft actually gave the game ball to Coach Belichick after the game. I’ve heard rumblings outside of New England for him to be fired. I think Kraft stated his position pretty clearly with his actions!

My favorite quote from the Globe’s article: “San Diego could have used semaphore to signal in its plays and it wouldn't have mattered.”

In a separate AP article, Pats linebacker Tedy Bruschi declared, "This victory was for all the Patriots teams past and present,” and about the win, “This is the most satisfying because I've never been in a situation that doubted what we've done with past teams.” Calling this game his most satisfying says a lot coming from a player with 3 Super Bowl rings.

The Boston Globe reporter summed it up perfectly , “LT [Whom I refer to as Mr. Whinypants!] questioned the Patriots' class after New England 's 24-21 victory in last season's Divisional playoffs. Last night, he and the rest of the Chargers learned the Patriots are the class of the AFC.”