All the years I spent watching the New York Yankees, I always just assumed I hated them. After all, they were the "Evil Empire." However, after the second Red Sox World Series title in four years, and with the collective ire of an entire nation of football fans being directed at my beloved New England Patriots, I finally realize how wrong I was.
It wasn't hate I felt - it was envy. All this time I was as green as a green crayon hoping that some day I would be able to feel what Yankee fans felt (big emphasis on that - felt). Now I do.
The first time it really hit me was a few weeks ago, when I was watching the Pats face the Miami Dolphins. With the Pats up 28-7, Tom Brady heaved up a prayer to Randy Moss in double coverage. Not only did Moss catch the pass for a touchdown, but Miami safety Renaldo Hill also hurt his right knee trying to cover him. The color commentators were speechless. I couldn't stop smiling. I felt like such a villain, but I loved it.
For me, this was the defining moment of the Patriots' transformation. Facing the worst team in the league who was already riddled with injury, the Patriots were celebrating a 35-7, second quarter lead with the Dolphins' best healthy defensive back writhing in pain in the end zone. This made George Steinbrenner's formerly evil New York Yankees look like tiny little bunnies nibbling on flower petals in a sunny field.
Later, Belichick finally decided to put backup quarterback Matt Cassel into the game, which had been well out of reach since the end of the first quarter, only to pull him after throwing an interception. I was fine with this. When I play Madden I never take Brady out - I break records.
Fast forward one week, to a game many misguided media pundits were saying the Pats might actually lose. Brady and Co. are leading the Washington Redskins 38-0, facing a 4th-and-1 on Washington's 7-yard line, and they go for it. Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs appeared dumbfounded on the sidelines, shaking his head and frowning like he just pooped his pants. The Pats converted and ended up getting a touchdown on the drive, which made Redskins linebacker Randall Godfrey sad. Godfrey complained that the Patriots were unsportsmanlike, which has since been the hot topic around the NFL.
It's no wonder, then, this weekend's game against the Indianapolis Colts was touted by many as Good vs. Evil. Tom Brady was your prototypical arrogant jerk, and Peyton Manning the exemplar of humble sportsmanship. (One ESPN columnist even went so far as to make it a moral issue, essentially Brady evil because he's had a few hot girlfriends, Manning good because he is happily married.) The Colts were supposed to be the team that would finally stop Belichick's evil hordes, but as we all know, that didn't happen.
The Patriots defeated the Colts 24-20 in what would be a bittersweet victory for me, and many other Pats fans, I'm sure. Sure, we are still undefeated, and we proved to the world that we are better than the Colts. But, we didn't score on our opening drive, like we had in all our previous games, and we were unable to run the score high enough to make Peyton Manning cry.
Now, I am not saying that the Pats aren't unsportsmanlike, because I totally agree that they are. What I am saying is that, as a nation of Patriots fans, not only do we need to accept that our team is evil, we need to embrace it. We should brag incessantly. Wear our Pats jerseys everywhere. Remind every fan of the teams we systematically dismantle, friend or foe, just how gruesome our victories were. This is our shining moment. As each day passes, sports fans around the nation are wishing harder and harder that they could be us. Let's enjoy it.
Shane Reil '09 hates Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca.
