Tuesday, October 05, 2004

I am one big happy football fan!

I just read yesterday that Northwestern upset #7 ranked Ohio State this past Saturday afternoon. Along with the Bears having whipped the Packers a few weeks ago, my football season is officially complete. I don't care if either team wins another game. Neither team is really that good, but it's satisfying to know that the Buckeye and Packer fans are seething over this (I know you are!). Especially the Packer fans, like my old neighbor John (a transplanted Wisconsinite). He lived here for two years, and all I ever heard about was how great Bret Favre is and how the Packers had dominated the Bears for the past so-many years. Well, now the Packers suck just like the Bears, and Bret Favre is fading fast. Put that in your cheesehead hat, and...do whatever it is you want to do with it. Now that our SKY satellite is hooked up again, I'll be watching the developments every Sunday night at 7 and 10 p.m.
This talk about John and the Packers just made me think about a story John told me one time that demonstrates his obsession with Bret Favre. One time he was at a bar in Green Bay with some buddies, and all of a sudden he noticed that Bret Favre and his wife (I said: "Are you sure it was his wife?", and John told me I was a blasphemer) were having lunch at a table over in the corner. "Out of respect for Bret", John decided not to hassle his hero. However, when Mr. & Mrs. Favre were finished and left, John noticed that Bret had left some of his French fries on the plate. So what did John do? He went over to the table, sat in Favre's still-warm seat, and....ate some of the leftover fries! He even thought (hopefully) he might have eaten a couple of half-eaten ones. When John told me this story, I was pretty amused (although I told him that I thought he needed psychological counseling).
Even though I grew up in Chicago, I wouldn't say that I'm the biggest Chicago Bears fan. However, it was pounded into my brain over those thirty-seven years I spent in Chicago...to HATE the Packers. Nothing would set John off more than me saying something like: "I think the Packers will win this weekend, but Favre's going to have a career-ending injury." Or, "this is going to be Favre's last year as a Packer. They'll probably try to trade him to the Bears...and the Bears won't want him." John wouldn't admit it, but I could feel the internal seething as he attempted to formulate some kind of comment about the Bears to get back at me.
Now, John, Jane, and the kids are in North Carolina. John's watching the Packers on DirecTV on his NFL Sunday Ticket package, and....the Packers suck!!! Bret Favre is a has-been!!! This will probably be Favre's last season!!!! And, the Bears beat the Packers!!!!!!!!

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