Day 453

I hate to do it to you all, but I must. I'm way too drained tonight to think of anything else but this. Don't say I didn't give you fair warning for what I'm about to discuss, but here it is...can you believe Eli Manning just won a freaking Super Bowl? Unbelievable. I must admit, there was part of me that thought it would be great to witness a team go 19-0, but then again, I really don't like the Patriots. Even though Tom Brady is super hot. I'm just a sucker for routing for the underdog. And now, as my way-too-old-for-his-six-years cousin Jack stated, "Oh yeah, Brady is crying all the way to Beantown tonight."

I'm really still in shock...and to think, I almost went home in the beginning of the 4th quarter because I was getting bored of the game. There really is nothing like watching a bitter fight to the very end. Just when I thought all was lost for the Giants, the unbelievable happened. My dad would have LOVED watching that game. He liked to route for the underdog, and also routed for anyone who had some connection with him. Since he wasn't a fan of either team, I'm positive that he would have routed for the Giants, just because Eli played in the SEC...that's just the way dad worked.

It was always fun watching games with dad, because he wouldn't get angry and crazy like some men do. He'd yell at the TV for maybe a second, but wouldn't carry it with him if something didn't go right. But if he loved what he saw, it was just so much fun. He would always "Wew" and "Yeah" and "Alllllright" really loud, his eyes and smile would get real big, and he'd pump his fist into the air and start dancing. His own version of an endzone dance or something terrible crazy and embarrasing like that to his oldest daughter. But I secretly loved it, even though I rolled my eyes at him half the time.

I think the reason I loved sports so much is because dad instilled that in me. Not just swimming, which was our sport, but he loved all sports, and so I learned to love them all too. And since dad had no sons to talk sports with, he talked sports to me. Taught me what he knew. Passed down what he followed. We bonded over sports the way fathers and sons do; if we didn't have anything else to talk about, we could always talk about what we read in the Sports page that morning. Sometimes men are amazed at my sports knowledge. I don't really think it's all that impressive, but it's just something that I've grown to love because of dad. And I love to see someone pull through, against all odds, and come out on top in the end. Tonight was one of those great nights. And I wish dad was there to share in the celebration with me.