How Patiot-Hating is a Reflection of our Society

I grew up in Connecticut in the 1970's and 1980's.  Back then the Patriots were a sometimes-successful team, but seemed so far away from me.  The New York Giants were not very good, but had some fans around town.  But really the two most popular football teams were the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys.  The Steel Curtain vs America's team.  I was on the Cowboys side growing up and a lot of my friends liked the Steelers.  Why?

Because these two teams played two of the most iconic Super Bowls ever.  I remember the dropped touchdown pass by Jackie Smith and Lynn Swann and John Stallworth doing Swann and Stallworth things.  They were the two coolest and best teams in the NFL.  I mean one of the teams was considered America's team for God's sake!  If you didn't love the hometown team, you loved one of these teams.  Eventually I outgrew this.  It all started with going to some Patriots games when they were REALLY bad.  Like Rod Rust bad.  That's all I needed to become the new Patriot's fan.

What got me thinking about this was seeing the ESPN graphic that demonstrated that outside of New England, not one state polled was rooting for the Patriots to win Super Bowl LIII.  Not one.  Even though the L.A. Rams barely have a fan base large enough to draw 25,000 fans to their games, all of a sudden, it seems as though everyone is rooting for the Rams to win over the hated Patriots.  I guess my wish that the Patriots became America's team is forever lost.

Music to haters' ears.

"Brady is too old and a cheater."

"Belichick is a cheater and is getting to old to understand modern offenses and defenses."

"The Patriots are in the Super Bowl too much, can we have someone else represent the AFC?"

"Josh McDaniels is piece of crap for screwing the Colts!"

"the Patriots are done...11-5 and they are going out in the second round!"

While none of these quotes are verbatim, I've heard most of these breathless themes over the last couple of years.  Why don't people like this winner like they liked the Cowboys and the Steelers?  Why do teams that have some success become vilified like it is evil incarnate.  I mean Spygate and Deflategate have both been proven wrong but are still brought up.

The answer is simple.

Because hate is so much easier than love in today's society.  Constant stress of work, traffic and school.  Weekends are spent traveling to the country to watch Soccer, Lacrosse and Basketball instead of relaxing.  24 hour news cycles like CNN and Fox fuel hatred to attract or keep viewers.  Hatred is a way to get eyeballs on the screen.  No one wants to watch the news if it is good news.  No one wants to watch grainy footage of a good deed; they want grainy footage of a fight.  Bad news?  Arguing?  Debates run amok?  Count these stressed out people and stations in. 

And pundits and influencers grab on to this.  They can become famous if they go to the extreme.  They can become well known if they have hot takes no one else has.  Newspaper reporters - a dying breed - will report on almost any sensationalistic news because it is what keeps readers.  And this usually usually means hate takes from people reporting on the reporters.  Max Kellerman has thought Brady should retire every year for the past 8 years.  His mindset is that one of these years he will be right!  Watch the NFL Network when they talk about the Patriots.  Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shannon Sharpe, they can't stand the Patriots' success, even though they have had success of their own.

Even the loathsome Boston-based Felger and Mazz, radio trolls if there ever was two has admitted that it is easy to get phone calls - simply bash the Patriots.

I'm afraid of what will happen when Brady eventually retires.  The hate will really come out then.

Until then, all I can say is that They Hate Us Because They Ain't Us.

  

Welcome to Family, Ells

Ellie or Mookie?  DLG and G were arguing about the name for the new dog a couple of days before the BIG day.  I piped in with my oh so subtle guilt trip.

"What about Maddie?  That was the name of my dog growing up..."  I might was well have said "before she was tragically taken in a mafioso kidnapping" after that I was laying on it so thick.

Yes, the JMR family was adding another to its brood.  A little Golden doodle would be gracing us with its presence in just a few short days.  While I was counting the mouths that I had to feed (which is typically what I do, it was the role I was made for), everyone else was counting the days until we picked our new addition.  We were receiving videos and pictures of the new puppies every day.  Other expectant dog owners were getting all freaked about the puppies.  I thought I would contain my excitement.

Dog breeders creep me out so I stayed home with C for his baseball practice even though he was perfectly capable of driving himself (a story for another day).

Even though I was dreading the additional mouth to feed, as the day came, I had to say I was excited for the dog myself.    I'm not that much of a miserable SOB for God's sake! The pictures were rolling in as well as updates on where they were after they left the breeders house.

When everyone got home, "Ellie" started bounding around.  Did she know that this was going to be her new home?  I don't know for sure, but she immediately found a comfortable spot on the rug in the Living Room (what we call the big couch room) and stretched out. 

I'm sure we'll have plenty of stories with this little puppy.  So I'll leave it at this...Welcome to the Family Ells!

2018 - Another Year, Another World Series Parade

Things have changed a lot since 2013, and things haven't changed at all.  2013 was the last year that we celebrated a Red Sox World Series victory with the Duck Boat parade.  And while 2013 was different in that all of went to Fenway Park on a  Saturday morning and basically missed the whole thing, 2018 saw C, G and I go to the corner of Boylston and Tremont.  They didn't mind since they missed a day of school (What excuse will we give C so he doesn't get detention was a big brainstorm session that LC and I had all week?).

For the uninitiated (or for those from New York, Los Angeles, etc.), after a Boston team wins its championship, the team usually celebrates by getting on Boston's fleet of Duckboats and whips through the Back Bay, usually stopping somewhere around City Hall Plaza so everyone can cheer. I've gone to a couple of the Red Sox parades, a couple of the Patriots parades, and an ill conceived Bruins parade.  I've been lucky, I guess.  I've managed to enjoy myself and managed to avoid all of the Massholes who inevitably show up to these kinds of things.

It was this and 20 pictures of duck boats flying by.

Wednesday, 10am.  Boston.  Really, except for the overwhelming aroma of weed wafting through the air, this parade was similar to the Bruins parade we went to back when they won the Cup in 2011...except that I was happy that it happened.  We were at the turn from Boylston to Tremont.  I thought we got a good vantage point leaning up against a City of Boston Dump truck that was blocking other cars from going down Boylston toward Chinatown.  Little did I know that G did not like this spot.

Then the wait began.  I was probably the oldest in the group hugging Boylston Street by about 20-25 years as every high school student and college student in the greater Boston area decided to skip school.  The idiotic signs, the vaping, the immaturity.  It took me back to when I was that age (except for the vaping - what the Hell is that all about - it's like getting a Raspberry coffee at Starbucks).  The wait was shortened by watching the construction guys banging their hammers and start "Yankees Suck" chants.  It was kind of amusing, even through that chant is as tired as I am.  The crowd seemed less than electric, almost jaded, so when the police started tearing around the corner to signal that the Duck Boats were finally coming around the bend, it was heartening to see the crowd pick up its fervor.  "Let's go Red Sox" began to be the chant.  That's one I can get behind.

The first boats came by.  Steve Pierce, World Series MVP was on the first boat, followed by the entire organization that sits in the back room and mocks you when you pay $100 for an uncomfortable, too small of a seat.  One of the next duckboats had the hangers-on from previous World Series wins - Pedro, Big Papi and Varitek.  At least Jason Varitek was a part of the organization. 

After an endless array of staff duck boats, the boats with players started coming by.  In what was to be a portend of things to come, the players were throwing beer cans to the construction workers in the building across from us - most of the time missing and hitting the scaffolding below.  (Sorry bystanders below!)  Note to self not to enter that building on Tremont Street...those guys were drinking beer!  David Price continued to be defiant in the face of every single person to have doubted him.  Mookie was in the last boat with a bunch of guys I had never heard of.  Well, except for Tzu-Wei Lin.

Let the record show that I said Price was going to have a good Postseason - which was before his dumpster fire in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees.

And then just like that, they were gone.  As we walked back to Southie for lunch, we had to dodge near fistfights and yelling and screaming.  Another year, another reversion back to being Massholes.

2018 ALCS - Price's Redemption?

Would this game be David Price's redemption?  His playoff teams (Tampa Bay, Toronto and the Red Sox) had never won a start that he made.  Forget about his win-loss record, his TEAM had not won a game he started.  That is an astounding achievement.  And his poor 1.3 innings in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees did not seem to be a harbinger of good things to come.  All of that being said, G and I decided to make our way do down to Fenway Park for Game 2 of the ALCS against the Astros.

I had taken C to the ALCS during the Red Sox magical 2013 run, and watched a heartbreaking 1-0 shutout loss in Game 1 to Anibel Sanchez.  That game, I had C and G pick a number between 1 and 10.  Tears flowed and pouting ensued, but I explained to G back then that the Red Sox did not get a hit until the 9th inning, and it was too cold for him (That's a lie of course because it can never be too cold for him.  Now my explanation to C was that he had already seen a game and did he really want to sit in those cramped seats again to watch David Price blow it yet again?

C was still pissed...

4pm.  Boston.  Of course, I drove G's ball hawking buddies and we arrived approximately 8 hours early, hoping to get in before the crowds and watch batting practice.  Unlike the game earlier this season, G actually got a ball.  Event though he would have had two if he didn't muff a ball thrown to him that a 6 year old kid dove on the floor to steal away from him.

"Dad, my glove still isn't broken in!" G rationalized to no one in particular because I had stopped listening to that excuse 6 months prior when we got him the new glove.

Had to make up a photo op.

Our seats were farther up the grandstand and a little closer to Home Plate, than the tickets that I shared with friends of mine.  But the view was OK, considering there was a huge stanchion blocking the area between the mound and home plate.  I thought, well this isn't too bad until I missed a pivotal error in the first inning that helped the Red Sox take a 2-0 lead.  I guess it didn't matter because David Price immediately gave up the lead and then some by letting the Astros put up a 2 spot in the second inning and then two more in the third.  For crying aloud, does David Price suck! I thought to myself.

But just when I thought that this game was going to start to slip away, Jackie Bradley Jr. (of all batters) turned a Garrit Cole fastball around and hit a bases clearing double to take the lead again in the 4th inning 5-4.  Now all Price had to do was get through the 5th inning and he was in line for the win.  His first in 50 career Playoff starts (or something close to that)

Well that was not to be.  Price got two quick outs int eh Fifth Inning then walked two straight batters with the top of the lineup turning over.  After leaving with two outs in the Fifth, Price was one precious out away from possibly winning a start.   But it was not meant to be.

The Red Sox bullpen, led by Matt Barnes, Ryan Brazier and Rick Porcello, recorded three Holds while the Red Sox took a 7-4 lead.  And while Craig Kimbrel came in with some lighter fluid in the 9th Inning to make it interesting, the Red Sox won the game 7-5 to tie the ALCS up at 1-1.

And David Price got his first "team" win.  The first time in history a player boasted about a "team" win.  But baby steps are all we have...well that and a couple of baseballs.  

Boston Seaport - An Oral History

Oh boy, I thought to myself.  We have a 16 year old, a 14 year old and a 12 year old at this point and its always an adventure to get them to agree to do anything.  When Jen said she reserved a room in South Boston for the night and all 5 of us were going to go, I thought that the crap was going to hit the fan. 

What follows is an oral history of that weekend.

Friday

C:  I really did not want to go to Boston with Mom and Dad.  I wanted to play Fortnite in my dungeon lair (our basement) and tell my head set buddies how awful they are at the game.  I am Massachusetts Ninja.

G:  I really didn't want to go to Boston with Mom and Dad.  I want to play Fortnite in my office lair.  I want to stare at the TV from one foot away and tell my headset buddies how good I am.

DLG:  I wanted to go to Boston because I like hotels.  Wait, I have to sleep on the floor again?  Forget it, I just wanted to stay home and play on my iPad.  I hate sleeping on the floor.

Me:  I thought...Hell, if we can we get burgers and beers and leave the kids in the room alone on Friday night, I'm in, I guess.

Jen:  I just wanted to have all 5 of us do something fun.  I didn't think everyone would be complaining.

After lunch at Tony C's and a walk to the Faneuil Hall/Aquarium area we were already starting to get tired.

G:  My feet were killing me.

Me:  My feet were killing me, but I put on a brave face.  Also the sunset was pretty cool.

Best picture of five taken

Jen:  JMR's  and G's constant whining about the walk were really starting to annoy me.  At least C and DLG weren't noticeably unhappy.  Well at least not until I asked them to take a picture along the water.  That's when things really got out of hand.

C:  This sucked.  I was bored out of my mind.

DLG:  It was OK, although Mom and Dad did not want to buy me anything.  They kept saying no.  Stuffed animals - no.  Fancy pens and other art pieces, no.  Clothes - no.

After dropping them off in the room, Jen and I proceeded to hit the Town.  Going to a couple of bars and then out to eat at a Mexican restaurant that featured meth head customers and a clear drug dealer as a food runner.  Food was good.  We retired for the night around Midnight.

Saturday

G:  I had trouble sleeping since Jen and I were sharing a twin bed.  DLG was on the floor next to me, C was on a pull out and G had the other small bed.  I chose to walk around and get a Starbucks.

Eventually, everyone got their acts together and we made another trek to downtown.  This was an even farther walk, going to lunch int eh North End.

DLG:  I didn't like pizza, so I got spaghetti.

C:  I got pizza because I'm pickier than an 80 year old man.

G:  I got pizza because I couldn't decide.  But my feet hurt again.

We then made the brave decision to go back to Southie and go bowling.

Jen:  My foot hurt so I thought a good idea would be to take us all bowling.  No activity soothes feet like the stopping and starting of bowling in bowling shoes that are always 2 sizes too small.

C:  I'm the best bowler in the family.  It doesn't matter what our scores are.

G:  I'll go bowling but can we get an Uber back?

Me:  I would rather walk back.  Maybe they will forget about bowling.  Also, the peace and quiet of the solo walk back (the boys' bickering was driving me crazy)

DLG:  I decided to walk back with Dad.  He seemed sad that we were all going to Uber back to the bowling alley.

C:  Even though I was throwing gutter ball after gutter ball, my speed was off the charts.  Yeah it was an 8 pound ball, but it was flying!

Me:  My shoulder was going to be killing me after this.

Jen:  Ha! I had no intention of bowling, I just wanted to have a glass of wine without anyone bothering me to leave for an hour.

G:  I just wanted to rest.  I thought that maybe bowling with two hands would make things easier.  They didn't.  No one noticed that I almost fell over a couple of times.

C:  At least I wasn't falling over throwing the ball.

After a couple of minutes at the Park on D, we then headed home.  Everyone got what they wanted at that point.

C: Fortnite

G:  Fortnite and a chair

DLG:  Home to my bed.

Jen:  Home to the couch.

Me:  I guess I'll do the laundry, dishes and lawn.