Thoughts Come Across the Pond: The Prelude
The British are coming! Raiders fan D with Jets fans J and Bent
The day has come. The moment you have been waiting for is finally here. For loyal readers, you will remember that our intrepid fellow fan and TJB writer from Across The Pond, Bent was our lucky charm that shoehorned Mangini’s team into the playoffs with the win against the Raiders. Sure it’s been over six months, but the tale is ready to be revealed in all it’s glory. Would you rush Michaelangelo’s Cistine Chapel?
Homer’s Iliad? Garbage. Beowulf? A children’s story. The Song of Roland? More like the Song of Crap. Gird your loins and prepare for a tale of three heros from England, as they embark on an adventure the likes of which you will not soon forget. (–Bassett)
Prelude
On December 31st, 2007, having been a through-thick-and-thin Jets fan for just over 20 years, I finally made my first trip to a Jets game.
I had only been in New York once in my life and, on that occasion, only got to see the inside of JFK (the airport, not the dead president). That’s other than a probably-would-have-gotten-me-shot-if-I-did-it-today climb up and glance over a security wall which revealed only that JFK – like most airports – is basically in the middle of nowhere, not just down the road from Times Square like my naïve eighteen-year old brain pictured it back then.
This was to be a much more expansive trip, but why did it take me so long to make it over there? When I was younger, it was the cost (although I did save up the money when I was fifteen after my Dad told me he would take me if I paid for myself, only to be told that he had only said that because he had never expected me to save the money and never had any intention of taking me). As I grew older, it was the Jets. Did I really want to take a trip that I’d waited so long for and for it to end in a frustrating blowout where they didn’t even seem to try to move the ball or a crushing defeat-snatched-from-the-jaws-of-victory-type debacle?
Eventually, with the encouragement of my buddies, a Jets fan (J) and a Raiders fan (D), we took the plunge and decided to get tickets for the end of season clash with the Raiders, although we all agreed that it was likely to be a meaningless battle-of-who-could-care-less, but – in a way – that was good because it would allow us to enjoy the occasion. My Raider fan buddy had never been to a game either, but the Jets fan has been several times.
My expectations for the game were simple enough. Although I assumed, as we all did, that both teams would be well out of playoff contention by then, I hoped that the Jets were relatively healthy, so I would get to see most of my favourite (sic) players in action. And at the back of my mind, I was hoping that they would have a halftime ceremony for Wayne Chrebet or maybe get Lilian Garcia to sing the National Anthem, either of which would have made the trip worthwhile regardless of the result.
As the season wore on, it became apparent that (a) the Jets big guns *were* staying healthy and (b) they were miraculously staying in playoff contention, which as we know is all down to their ridiculously easy schedule (despite the fact that the Bills and Dolphins flamed out even though they not only had very similar schedules, but also got to face the hapless Jets twice each!). I started to think … “Wouldn’t it be amazing if the Jets were not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for that game, so we got to see a game that meant something, with great atmosphere and everything?”
I became obsessed with this notion. Not the notion of making the playoffs, just making it to week seventeen without being eliminated. Prince’s streaking posts on TJB took on a whole new gravitas. I was even prepared for the Jets to win the game in front of a raucous crowd, only to be bounced by other teams like the Broncos and Bengals winning out. They beat the Texans and Packers. It looked possible. The Bills crushed us – physically and emotionally – and it looked impossible. But then, on a magical Floridian Christmas Day, a still-healthy Chad Pennington proved he actually does have a stronger arm than Tony Kornheiser’s daughter, Leon Washington made a defiant tip-toe through the daisies and Mike Nugent drove a stake through the Dolphins’ hearts and a football through their goalposts. Win and you’re in? Oh, it was so *on*.
(Check back Monday for Chapter One – The Night Before the Game)
7 Responses to Thoughts Come Across the Pond: The Prelude
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Since I’m at work right now, I don’t think loin girding is appropriate. . . .
And although I’m going to enjoy reading this, why is such an epic not in iambic pentameter? “Tony Kornheiser’s daughter” rhymes with “a violent Dolphins slaughter.”
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Ferragamo says:
Good stuff boys.
With such an epic story do we have to wait another 6 months for chapter 2?
Bent…. Kendrick Clancy signed with the Saints if your interested.
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i went to that bills game. it sucked. i then went to the raiders game with a full head of steam and b.a.c. somewhere aound 12, intending on preforming a nose dive off the 300 level if we were to lose. thank god.