Worst. Blogger. Ever.

Okay . . . and this is my second apology to anybody who reads my blog. In my 1st apology (which I never ended up posting for various reasons) I guessed my audience to be seven, but after nearly a month without a post I can’t imagine anybody reading this unless I ask them nicely.

But I’m writing this anyway.

Today The Patriots beat The Steelers and are now 13-0. So it boils down to six games for perfection, with the last three (playoffs) meaning everything and the next three (regular season) simply ones for the record books. But now every time The Pats take the field it will be AN EVENT.

And this is fun.

Especially when you remember very well that season in 1991 when I was ECSTATIC when The New England Patriots won 6 games.

I was a senior at BU and would have to scheme to watch The Pats when they played home games. Back then you would have to find a bar that would illegally put the game on their satellite (before Direct TV and the NFL package bars could be fined huge amounts of money by showing a local game that had been blacked out for lack of ticket sales). In 1991 we were coming off a ONE WIN SEASON. The Pats were almost surely being moved to St. Louis, and none of the home games were on TV because they could never sell out the stadium.

The Alley Pub, which was less than a hundred yards from my apartment, was one of those bars that would show Pats games illegally. I would go there every Sunday, and there is one day that burns brightly in my mind. We were playing the Buffalo Bills, the same Buffalo Bills with Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas that went to 4 straight Superbowls. Hugh Millen was our QB and Dick McPhearson was our coach. There wasn’t even a chance of The Pats going to the playoffs, but on that afternoon we beat The Bills and it was amazing. Our record didn’t matter. For one game we were able to best the best team in the AFC.

Sixteen years later it’s hard to imagine.

In 2007 it’s going to be fans of The Jets, The Dolphins, and The Giants who will be ecstatic if they can beat the best team in the country. The Pats are a long way from being lovable losers . . . they are now hated with as much venom as The NY Yankees. It’s New England and their fans vs. the world.

And as much as I enjoyed that six win season, it’s simply something for nostalgic yearnings. Any sane person would prefer being 13-0. I will never be 21 again, The Alley Pub is no longer, and I will never be happy about anything less than making the playoffs.

Okay, that's it for tonight . . . here is what I wrote last week and never posted:

*****************************

Monday December 3rd
11:15 p.m.

. . . . .My apologies to anyone (all seven of you) who read my blog. Due to being very busy at work, traveling out of the country, and not having an Internet connection at my new apartment I haven’t written anything in weeks. I can hear The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons saying “Worst. Blogger. Ever.”

But I’m back, and let’s start with Monday Night Football and The New England Patriots:

PATRIOTS 27
RAVENS 24

This whole season my thought process has mirrored that of my team, The New England Patriots. I have just wanted them to beat the next team they were playing- a true one game at a time mentality. And if there was a goal, it was only to win The Superbowl. I honestly haven’t given much thought to not losing and the ’72 Dolphins and the chance to be called The Greatest Team Ever.

But tonight . . .

My God did I want The Pats to win.

I was at my usual seat at the far left of the bar at The Buccaneer, the Boston sports bar in San Francisco I frequent nearly every week. Because of my travels and the bye, I hadn’t been there since the Indy game almost one month ago. And I wasn’t going to make the trip up Polk Street tonight either. It was a long day at work, I was tired, and relaxing on the comfort of my own couch seemed like a good option.

But I knew this game was important.

The Pats were favored by 20, but it just didn’t seem like a blow-out kind of night. They were on the road, facing a very tough defense, in prime time, and contending with history. I knew (and know) that ever single game they play is going to be a battle. Every team they play are going to compete against The Pats as if it were their Superbowl.

Tonight I needed the energy of being surrounded by my people. I am all about watching The Game, and for most of the 60 minutes of play I’m barely aware of those around me. But it’s always nice to be around friends, and it’s especially important when the games are of higher meaning.

This comeback win over Baltimore was special, and it was made even more so being surrounded by Pats fans on Russian Hill in San Francisco. When Jabar Gaffney caught the winning TD in the back corner of the endzone it felt great to high five everybody around me. And when Jill, one of The Buc’s great bartenders, gave me a “still undefeated shot”, I lifted it up and downed it with a smile.

But let’s keep perspective. 12-0 is nice, but there’s still 7 more wins to get. Go Pats!